


He's a Bastard

by Thirdly



Category: Original Work
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-19
Updated: 2016-01-09
Packaged: 2018-03-31 07:20:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 29,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3969235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thirdly/pseuds/Thirdly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cyrus Kairos didn't know what to expect from the mentor that he was being assigned to. But, there was nothing quite like walking in on his mentor's frivolous activities to make him wary of his training...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. My Mentor's a Manslut

**Author's Note:**

> Quick Warning! This story's a little crazy and not to be taken seriously. But, it's still a pretty fun read! :)

 

 _He was a bastard…there was seriously no other way for me to describe it._   
_He was also a "man-slut," a manipulative rat, an egotistical dickhead..._   
_Oh, dear cosmos and all the other spirits that may exist in the universe..._ _  
_ _How the freaking hell have I fallen in love with him?_

 

_**Cyrus's Point of View:** _

My hazel eyes squinted at the odd name typed across the top of the chart in my hands. I was being trained to Wander. What did the job entail? Well, it required being under the tutelage of a full-fledged Wanderer. His name was Revelin Eferize. Mine was Cyrus Kairos.

I took a moment to scratch the top of my short, curly platinum hair. I had a nagging feeling in the back of my head that anything with an acronym that spelled out "WRECK" (as in, "Wanderers Revelin Eferize and Cyrus Kairos") was bound to be stressful. I had to come to terms with the fact that my "nagging feelings" were almost always justified. But, I tended to fight my own instincts with tooth and nail.  
At the moment, however, my testing scores and evaluations all pointed to Wandering training. I would, one day, be required to Wander through the lands and dimensions in order to aid others with their miscellaneous troubles. Yes, miscellaneous troubles. The job included anything as simple as babysitting a pet or as complicated as poisoning an entire council. The phrase 'jack-of-all-trades' had nothing on Wanderers.

According to the chart in my hands, my mentor-to-be was a Wanderer in high demand. He had apparently saved an entire town from being flooded single-handedly, among other "noble" deeds. Mentor Eferize was always spoken of in tones of high praise and admiration. But, I knew better than anyone that appearances could be deceiving. Not to mention that his understudies in the past never remained under his wing for long.

I kept such warnings in mind as I opened the door to my mentor's mansion with the key that I was assigned.

Almost as soon as I walked through the doorway, I heard the loud crash of something breaking. Thinking the worst, I ran in the direction of the sound. Was it a thief? Was my mentor injured? Had I known then what I know now, I wouldn't have bothered to waste any energy worrying. For, the moment I opened the door from which the sound had originated from, my peaceful and sane days were over.

Revelin Eferize was thrusting fervently into a freckled, copper-haired young man (that seemed to be only a couple of years older than I was) up against the wall of his workroom. I made a mental note to never lean against that particular wall and to always wash my hands if I ever had to do anything in the workroom that didn't require wearing gloves.

Somehow, through my shock and horror, I managed to yell something akin to "Excuse me!" before turning around and wishing to have the guts to bash my head against the door. It was only my first day of training and I already had my mentor's naked back burned into my brain. Besides the firm buttocks that I had tried not to think about just then, I also noted that Revelin Eferize had shoulder-length jet black hair that swayed with each of his thrusts...

I shook my head in horror. Since I was still trying desperately to shake away the image of my mentor fucking someone up against the wall, I couldn't quite will my legs to move me back through the door and out of the room. Talk about first impressions! Hell, I didn't even notice that the sounds of their fornicating died away from the moment I had yelled. All I wanted to do was to march right back to the Assigning Office and pray to be traded off to another mentor, preferably one who wouldn't have sex in an unlocked workroom of his mansion the day of his trainee's arrival.

" _You must be Cyrus Kairos_ ," A voice whispered in my ear, startling the hell out of me. "I must have written down the wrong date of your arrival. I wasn't expecting you for another ten days."

The lousy liar.

I clenched my fists and raised my chin a little before turning around to bravely look my mentor in the eye...and then I froze as I stared into the richest blue eyes I had ever seen. They were the kind of blue eyes that were nearly indigo with lighter flecks of blue and a few slivers of silver in them. I couldn't will any words to pass through my lips even if I wanted to.

"Welcome to my abode." Revelin finished with a smirk firmly in place.


	2. An Arch-Passage

 

**_ Cyrus’s Point of View: _ **

"Didn't mean to interrupt," I replied in a tone that clearly stated 'Next time, lock your damn door.'

I did my best to keep my face as blank as possible while Revelin Eferize took a good look at me. The look in those startling blue eyes seemed to be weighing my worth as his assigned assistant. I knew that I didn't look a day over fourteen, but it was a well-known fact that a Wanderer's Assistant had to be at  _least_  twenty-one in order to be assigned to a mentor. I was twenty-four. The fact that I was chosen to be taken under Revelin's wing alone spoke volumes about my potential, according to the tests. It also revealed that I probably had too many talents for my own good, therefore I should share them with the universe.

We broke eye contact when a certain copper-haired young man walked past us with a red-tinted face. While they were both measuring each other up, the youth had apparently dressed himself hastily.

"I'll be going now."

"Want me to guide you back?" Revelin offered.

"No thanks," The man snorted. "That's the last time I ever let you guide me  _anywhere_."

The sound of the door closing behind him seemed to echo in the workroom. “Right. It took me an entire month to get into Keith's pants. Well, so much for  _that_.” Revelin grumbled aloud. “Frankly, kid, I was getting tired of training assistants only for them to discover my 'frolicking' ways and plead to be reassigned to someone else. This time, I wanted everything out in the open from the beginning, but from the look on your face, maybe I went a little overboard?”          

And then, Revelin's lips formed into the smirk that I would grow to hate and love. At that moment, however, I didn't think anything of the smirk and how it never boded well. "Have you ever operated an Arch-Passage before?"

The question took a while to sink in. An Arch-Passage? "Not yet, sir."

"Very well," Revelin replied as he dug for his pants and slipped them on. "Follow me. And, for future reference, call me Revelin."

"I'd rather not, Mr. Eferize." I countered, hiding a smile when I caught him wincing.

"That's hardly fair," Revelin complained. "How would you like it if I continuously called you  _Mr.Kairos_?"

"I'd prefer it, actually," I answered.

"Of course you would," Revelin said with a sigh. "Which is why 'Cy,' it is." I felt my expression falling with those words.

Revelin opened a floor panel in a corner of the workroom before leading me down a set of stairs. A long line of light, that reminded me of neon signs, lit the entire staircase. When we reached the bottom of the stairs, I realized that we were in another room. In the center of the room was an arch that looked to be made out of sapphires. My mentor drew my attention to the floor around the arch. Three rings with grooves surrounded the arch. I didn't know exactly what the rings were made of, but it looked like Orichalchum.

Revelin spun the outer ring. "This circle designates which dimension." The ring stopped on a symbol that looked like the zodiac sign for 'Capricorn.'

"What do the symbols mean?" I asked.

"The symbols are a placeholder for the different dimensions. Capricorn replaces the number 'one' and, in this case, symbolizes the 'home' dimension," Revelin explained. "Every Wanderer has a different set of twelve symbols. Some use actual numbers, others use the names of the months...whatever helps them to remember which dimension's which."

"I see."

Revelin spun the ring in the middle. "This circle designates which country." The ring stopped on a symbol that looked like a chicken. " _Don't_  ask me about the symbols here. Same as before, it's my personal way of remembering which country's which."

"Got it."

Revelin spun the inner, and final, ring. "This circle designates which area of the country." The ring stopped on a symbol that looked like a castle.

"Ah, so we're going to Darenvy Castle in Phoenix?"

I tried not to smirk when Revelin looked at me in surprise.

"It wasn't that difficult to figure out once I thought of which country was named after a bird," I replied. "At least in  _this_  dimension, anyhow."

The truth was that Revelin had drawn the symbols on the Arch-Passage himself. When he tried to draw a phoenix, it came out looking like a chicken. But, he wasn't about to tell me that. I ended up coming across that information through other means.

"Not bad.” He admitted reluctantly. “Well, now that the coordinates are in place, we just walk right on through the arch to the other side."

"What does it feel like? Walking through the arch?" I wondered aloud.

"Need me to hold your hand as we walk through?" He teased, reaching out a hand towards me.

"That won't be necessary," I huffed, avoiding Revelin's hand altogether.

The two of us walked through the arch one after the other. I took a deep breath before following Revelin through, hoping against hope that I wouldn't embarrass myself somehow on the other side.

\-----

 


	3. Darenvy vs. Sonnet

 

**_ Cyrus’s Point of View: _ **

Static. That was what walking through the Arch-Passage felt like. Walking through static.

The only person that took humor at my expense was Revelin, who didn't bother to disguise his chuckling. I immediately put a hand to the top of my head and felt that my hair was spiking out in all directions. I glared at Revelin. "So, what will we be doing here?"

"Here, we shall be bodyguards to the Prince and Princess of Darenvy," Revelin answered. "Come on, I have to introduce you to King Dale and Queen Deidre. Everyone in the castle needs to be aware of the fact that you are my new assistant and that you are to be granted access everywhere."

::::::::::::::

"It has been a while since Revelin has had an assistant," Princess Dandelion commented, snapping me out of my usual mental rants.

"Gee, I wonder why," I muttered sarcastically. I was eating cookies and drinking hot cocoa with the strawberry blonde princess. Revelin had taken it upon himself to guard the prince. Princess Dandelion had been kind enough to let me indulge in my sweet tooth.

"You genuinely seem to  _not_  like Revelin very much," The princess mused. "That is such a rare thing."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you must know about Revelin's...ways by now," The princess stated. When I nodded, she continued. "Every single available male in this castle has ended up in Revelin's bed chambers at least once-"

The back of my throat burned as I choked on the hot cocoa. Through the teary eyes that resulted from the pain of my near suffocation, I managed to motion for her to go on.

"Every male that he has come across so far  _wanted_  Revelin in one form or another," The princess declared as if she were merely describing the weather outside. "Every single one."

"Talk about an ego," I snorted.

"No exaggeration," The princess said in a serious voice, as if I had offended her or called her a liar. She paused for a moment to take a sip from her own cup of cocoa. "They are facts."

Before I could even begin to make sense of what she was going on about, we both heard the door open and turned our heads in that direction. Prince Damien walked in, followed by Revelin. Speak of the devil.

"I want to set something straight with you," I told him. "Don't touch me. Ever."

Revelin narrowed his eyes as he looked at Princess Dandelion. "What have you been telling him?"

"Nothing that he would not have found out for himself," The princess responded mulishly, as if she had been reprimanded by the older man.

"Oh. I suppose I should thank you then," Revelin decided.

"That will not be necessary," The princess replied, a slight blush rising to her cheeks.

I held back a sigh, my thoughts drifting. I felt more like a babysitter than a bodyguard. I didn't understand how having the King and Queen inside or outside of the castle made a difference in the prince and princess's safety. "What, exactly, are we protecting them from?"

"The prince and princess?" Revelin asked. At that very moment, something blurry shot through the princess's window. Revelin caught it as it zoomed in. "From strange occurrences such as this."

What they all had mistaken to be a brown sparrow was, in fact, a strange hummingbird. I recognized it as such as soon as I saw its long beak.

"Unhand me!" The hummingbird demanded. Talking animals were usually magicians in disguise, so I didn't even raise so much as a brow when I heard it talk.

"Duncan! Oh, do let him go," Princess Dandelion squeaked, looking over the hummingbird from a distance. "I am so sorry, I forgot to tell Revelin about you."

After a moment of hesitation, my mentor let go of the bird. After a couple of shakes, the bird transformed into a tall boy with spiky brown hair and dark green eyes. "Prince Saul sends Princess Dandelion this bouquet of flowers." Duncan announced as the bouquet materialized in his hands. "As well as his pledge of eternal love."

"I'm surprised he didn't send a sonnet," Prince Damien snickered.

"I beg your pardon!" Duncan exclaimed.

"How...sweet of him," The princess replied slowly while Revelin snatched the flowers from Duncan's hands to examine them. Before Duncan had a chance to object, she told him, "Oh, it's alright! He's our bodyguard."

Duncan looked like he was torn between bowing an apology to the princess and ripping the flowers back from my mentor's hands. He dusted himself off instead, lifting his gaze to take in the room and the rest of the people in it. His eyes fell on me just as I had selfishly stuffed a cookie in my mouth. "Who is this?"

The princess's mind raced for a moment. "He's...our new food taster!"

I was more than a little lost with the sudden change of job title. However, I figured that the princess said it for a reason. I swallowed the rest of the cookie before nodding. "Right. Cy the food taster. Nice to meet you." I cringed when I realized that I had just used the new nickname Revelin had forced upon me. I could almost feel the smug glance he sent my way.

According to my mentor, the Darenvy and Sonnets had been trying to agree on a peace treaty for years. It seemed like Prince Saul of the Sonnets and Princess Dandelion of the Darenvy were taking the situation into their own hands. Regardless of the fact that both countries were trying to get along, Revelin had instructed both royals that they ought to keep their true professions a secret. Wanderers were far more dangerous than mere body guards and food tasters.

"What bravery! To risk being poisoned in place of your princess!" Duncan declared in an admiring tone of voice. "We share the honor of serving our royal family at the risk of our lives." I gaped at him when he knelt and took both of my hands in his own. "Tell me, are you married?"

The outrageous statements, and even more outrageous question, nearly had me choking on air. As soon as my face turned pink, Revelin made his way over to Duncan and hauled up the Magician Messenger to his feet by tugging on the back of his shirt. "I think that's enough interaction with the 'food taster'."

"Aren't you supposed to be guarding the prince and princess?" Duncan questioned. "What good is it to guard the food taster?"

In spite of myself, I was rather curious to hear Revelin's answer.

"If  _he_  dies, then the princess would have to starve until they found her a replacement," he replied through clenched teeth. "Haven't you overstayed your welcome?"

Yes...the man was still a bastard. I didn't know why I even bothered to think otherwise. He could have at least said that it was because they were work companions.

"Please, Duncan. Send my thanks to Prince Saul," Princess Dandelion added.

Duncan bowed. "Then, I shall take my leave."

I warily looked on as he kissed the back of my hand before transforming into a hummingbird once more and leaving the same way he arrived. What a strange, young magician. He probably thought I was even younger than him.

"Dandelion  _Sonnet_?" Prince Damien teased with another snicker.

"Saul Sonnet is a  _sweetheart_ ," The princess argued. "Besides, I do not see  _you_  doing anything to help keep the peace."

Revelin put a hand on both their shoulders. "I think I just heard your parents arrive from their deliberating."

Prince Damien and Princess Dandelion stopped arguing to listen. Sure enough, they heard the sound of horns heralding their parents' arrival. "So it seems."

"That's our cue to get out of here," my mentor whispered to me. The two of us made our way back to the Arch-Passage and passed through it to the other side.

I was pleased to note that, once the static had run its course, my hair no longer stood up on all ends.

“How long have you been watching over those two?” I asked in curiosity when we returned to the basement. “They’re rather fond of you.”

“I’ve kept them protected since they were three years old, but I wasn’t visibly introduced to them until they were nine” Revelin explained. “I’m practically family.”

Yes, it was amazing how much they respected his frustrating mentor. “The  _real_  reason we went to see them in person was to assure that the wards and protective spells you have on them are still running smoothly, am I right?” I mused outloud.

“Aren’t  _you_  the clever assistant?” Revelin replied as he reached out the ruffle the top of my hair. “To answer your question, yes. They have necklaces, hair pins, and belts with my special brand of protective spells. I may be one of the more powerful Wanderers out there, but even I’m not so careless as to not check in on them once in a while.” A frown formed on his face, his first sign of worry. “After all, my spells don’t protect them from any mental harm…or worse, emotional.”

My eyes widened a bit. “You’re worried about the princess with Prince Saul, aren’t you?” A half-smile formed on my face. “You really  _are_ practically family to them, you are very much the protective uncle.”

“Just keep those thoughts to yourself,” my mentor warned. “I have a reputation to uphold.”  
  
\-----


	4. The Training Platform

 

 **Cyrus’s Point of View** :

Sometime after we returned to our corresponding dimension, I had my mentor sign an affidavit stating that my living quarters were not to be defiled in any way during my stay or entered without my explicit permission. Wanderers were very selective with anything they physically signed because their signatures were magically bound. A rumor also circulated about some Wanderers writing their names using merely their fingers and the names were still, supposedly, binding. In any case, I ignored the averse look on his face (had he already been planning on doing something unethical in my living quarters?) and urged him to sign, for my own peace of mind.

"This is rather high-handed of you, seeing as how your living quarters are provided by me," Revelin grumbled. "But, I'll sign it. Consider it a peace offering on my part." He filled in the blanks and signed the form before handing it back to me.

LIVING QUARTERS PRIVACY FORM

_I, Revelin Eferize, hereby agree to never defile* the living quarters assigned to one Cyrus Kairos. (Unless I am justified in doing so.)_

_I will also keep from entering aforementioned living quarters without Cyrus Kairos’s explicit permission**. (Except for when I deem it wise to do so, i.e. a fire and other such emergencies.***)_

_*- By "defile", I mean EVERY sense of the word._

_**- When I am not available to GRANT permission, NO ONE is to enter my living quarters by default._

_***- My personal judgment determines what constitutes as an emergency._

_Your delightful mentor,_

_Revelin Eferize_

I blinked as I read the form a second time. "You added terms and asterisks to my terms and asterisks," I stated sharply. I had already foreseen that it would be difficult to get him to sign anything, but did he have to go and alter my form? I let out a long sigh. The important thing, in the end, was that it was signed. "When are we going to sign my work contract?" I had never been one to back out of anything without seeing it through to the end, so I was determined to be trained by my assigned mentor until I learned enough to work alone.

Revelin shot me one of his unreadable smirks that probably spelled out doom in the future. "At the end of the week." He answered. "If you survive and I deem you worthy to take on as my assistant." He then proceeded to pull off his shirt, stripping down to his socks as he made his way towards his own living quarters. He wore no underwear. "Worry not," He tossed over his shoulder. "You will still be paid through this...orientation."

I didn't even want to know what my expression looked like just then. I was just glad that my mentor didn't stick around to see it. One of the most difficult things I had to conquer during my training with Eferize was to get used to seeing the man in any state of undress. I also had to figure out a way to keep those images from being burned into my brain. After all, I could take anything else in stride.

\---

"If I am going to live this through to the end, I will need soundproof walls," I muttered to myself as I sluggishly dragged myself out of bed the following day. My mentor had himself a mini orgy well until three in the morning. I picked out the sounds of two rather vocal females and an even more vociferous male along with my own mentor’s voice...which carried down the hall and into my living quarters. Of all the Wanderers that existed, I had to be assigned to the one who regularly formed his Vim into particle condoms. I could have soundproofed the walls myself, but that would require writing on them, and the mansion really did belong to Revelin. I had no choice but to wait it out. And now, after only four hours of sleep, I couldn't summon up the Vim required to perform such a spell.

I was halfway into my soft boiled eggs when my mentor walked into the kitchen wearing only his pants. I tried not to stare at the mess that was his hair. Just how powerful did one have to be to be able to summon up so much Vim and still be able to walk around feeling fresh as a daisy? "I ask that you please soundproof the walls of my living quarters if you are to continue your boisterous activities late into the night. Assistants need sleep in order to function." I took a long sip of cappuccino from the ridiculously large coffee mug I had brought with me, one of my most prized possessions, and tried not to show any outward reaction at the way he stared at me.

"You're so pale, it's too easy to notice when bags form beneath your eyes," Revelin mused aloud. He must have felt some pity for me, because he conceded to my request. "Soundproof room?" He affirmed while he quickly wrote several symbols in the air. As his fingers formed strokes, the air particles glowed blue in the shapes that he created. As soon as he was done, he swooped his hand over all of the symbols as if he were catching a ball, and then he threw them in the direction of the living quarters. "Done deal. The spell will only activate when the noise level in my room becomes too loud."

I was truly impressed, in spite of myself. And I was beginning to understand where the 'finger signature' rumors came from. Maybe my mentor wasn't as bad as I thought.

"I placed the seal on my room, so you should still be able to hear all the other noises. If an outside threat comes in, one of us should remain alert at night, and it sure as hell isn't going to be me. I'm the damn boss."

I had a feeling that by 'outside threat,' he didn't mean burglars, but other magic users. And the fact that he was leaving me alone with the burden? Inconsiderate, as usual. I didn't know why I kept trying to tell myself otherwise.

"Those pajamas make you look like the little kid that you certainly are not," Revelin commented as he poured himself some orange juice. "Pedophilia is one of my turn-offs. So, I suggest that you change into your work clothes and meet me in the basement in an hour before I rip those pajamas off of you myself."

The leer that was sent my way made it seem as if he wanted nothing more than to use the pajamas as an excuse to see me nude. "I have five different sets of similar pajamas," I countered with a glare. "What I wear outside of work is not written anywhere in my contract, Mr. Eferize, and I don't intend to succumb to your tastes outside of work, either."

I couldn't read the look in his blue eyes, but his voice sounded clipped when he simply repeated. "Basement. One hour."

\---

Revelin had me activate the rings of the arch-passage that time. He had me set it to a special setting that led to one of his many personal passages. This one led to a stadium-sized platform in the sky. "Where, exactly, are we?" I asked once we walked through.

The platform was made of white, unforgivably hard, marble tiles. The four corners interlaced into high flying buttresses, but other than those corners, the platform was wide open. With each cloud that I could see drifting past us in the distance, I became more and more anxious. I never had a fear of heights, but only because I was safely secure in harnesses, or there was always water around to cushion falls. But the platform, though it was immense in size, made me wary of ever nearing one of the edges.

"This is my training arena," Revelin replied. The man had showered and was dressed in a loose white blouse and a pair of dark gray slacks. He traced a symbol on the ground with the tip of his shoe and, when he tapped on it, the previously open sides of the platform were filled with a particle force field, glowing in the blue hue that was Revelin's signature.

"So, we're gonna train in a fancy, flying gazebo in the sky?" I muttered. I was feeling a little relieved that the gaps were buffered. But, my mentor didn't seem to be listening to me. Instead he motioned for me to follow him into the center of the platform.

"I will need you to not only defend yourself but at least one other person," Revelin stated.

"And by that 'other person' do you mean the Princess of Darenvy?"

"Yes. And anyone else, should we take on another guarding mission," He elaborated. "I warn that you will always leave this arena rather sore and exhausted."

I believed the 'sore' part, but I had no intention to allow myself to become outright exhausted. “What are we working on fi-Yipe! What in the world!" My mentor was cautious. He placed full-body particle barriers around both of us...but, for reasons unknown to me, he felt that the entrance to my backside needed protection as well. "I would have surely recalled 'being anally probed' listed under my job description, and it wasn't! What would I possibly need to have a particle barrier riding up my ass for?"

"Oh?" Revelin stated, raising an eyebrow. "One would think you were already used to having a long, cylindrical object constantly up your-"

"NOT funny."

"Let's begin. Turn that anger towards your training and attack me."

I felt less violated when the particles were finally retracted from between my butt cheeks. But, I was not a fool. Anger had no place in brawls...it created a mental fog and had a tendency to blind you. My mentor was trying to provoke me into lashing out without thinking. Instead of attacking physically, I decided to attack with my Vim.

Vim was the energy that Wanderers, among other such professions, used to manipulate the particles around them. Every dimension had a different word for it, as it was more commonly referred to as the use of magic. A person's knowledge and experience determined for how long and how far Vim could be used. But, every now and then, some were born with a natural talent for energy manipulation. My hazel eyes narrowed as I studied my mentor's stance. I had a feeling that Revelin was born with the ability to easily call Vim to himself. I almost laughed as an image snuck into my mind of a baby Revelin using Vim to bring back a fallen pacifier to his mouth before it hit the ground.

Then, without warning, I sent out shards of olive-hued Vim towards my mentor's head. The look on Revelin's face was priceless. I was right in thinking that he had expected a physical attack first. Who was I to disappoint? After sending out the Vim, I dashed over to the side with the intent of kneeing him in the stomach, but he managed to block the blow.

And so continued my 'training', which turned out to be outright sparring. The fact that I was able to keep up with him made me wonder if he was going easy on me in order to study my movement. I wasn't wrong. Revelin began to predict the flow of my attacks and began to toy with me. He would dodge by an inch and would tap whatever patch of skin I left unguarded.

I must have taken too long to think a series of movements through, because he took advantage of my lull and invaded my personal space. My breath hitched and I took a step back only to stumble and hit the ground. Instead of helping me back up, my mentor decided to crawl over my form. My face flushed. The man was simply too close for comfort.

"Are we finished with today's 'training'?" I asked cheekily in the hopes of creating some distance between us.

"I have the final word on whether we are finished or not," Revelin stated with the authority that only a full-fledged Wanderer could muster. I didn't expect the hand that took hold of my wrist to pull me up. "...and I say we are finished. Don't expect our next training session to be easier. You won't surprise me a second time."

I wanted nothing more than to prove him wrong.


	5. Hypoallergenic Pillows

 

**_ Cyrus’s Point of View: _ **

As the days went by, I quickly began to realize that Revelin Eferize was not a Jack of all Trades, like other Wanderers were. No. He was a polymath. One shouldn’t be able to truly master more than three skills at best, but this man had mastered several. I understood why he was praised and admired. In his field of work, he was astounding. However, his personality tilted the scale back to natural imperfection. The ones that suffered his personality the most were his understudies. Just what had I gotten myself into?

“Vocational testing measures where you would be needed the most,” My mentor pointed out. “Those with the ability to summon up massive amounts of Vim, such as ourselves, were meant to share the gift and give aide to as many people as possible. That’s how I’ve always seen it.”

“And no task is too small?”

“Never.”

“Alright. But, let’s say that while you are busy helping that old lady cross the street, a bomb goes off in the middle of a city?”

“And that is exactly the reason why Wanderers never work alone.” Revelin concluded. “And no task is ever too small.”

“You are so full of shit right now,” I grumbled. The two of us were busily using our Vim to stuff countless pillows for an understaffed shop.

“Think of the big picture here. Somewhere in the hospital of this town there are kids who are allergic to down. Where else are they going to rest their little heads at night if we don’t help this shop with its hypoallergenic pillows?”

“How much are we supposedly getting paid for this?” I questioned.

“Enough to feed us both for a month, so let’s finish what we’ve started.”

I snorted at the blatant lie. Eferize was rather big on volunteering and donating to those in need. If we were really getting paid anything for our work in the shop, it would probably be donated to the children at the hospital as well. I didn’t mind it most of the time. Our Wandering funds were plenty for us to survive off of.

My mentor tried to show me a few different dimensions every day on top of the dimensions that we were commissioned under at the time. In each dimension, we had different tasks to accomplish. Some were official, many were unofficial. But, at the end of the day, even I couldn’t deny that we had helped a lot of people. I would return to the mansion a bit worse for wear, but feeling accomplished inside. There was a strange sense of freedom to not be chained to any particular dimension, including our own.

What I did not approve of was how Revelin would bring strangers through the Arch-Passage every night for his bed. One particular night was rather frustrating for me. He had taken only a male youth to his chambers, instead of a group. And, he wasn’t kidding about the soundproof spell activating only when the noises got too loud. It meant that, so long as my door was shut, I wouldn’t hear any of the sounds drifting down the hall. But it also meant that, if I had to use the bathroom across my room…

Needless to say that, on that particular night, I ended up using the bathroom right when my mentor had worked the youth up to a frenzy. That was when I made the first big mistake. The noises were soft, distant. I made no excuses for myself when I chose to leave my door open. Soon, the only sounds I heard were the ones that fell from my mentor’s mouth. The youth must have been moaning loud enough for the sound barrier to activate, but the barrier did nothing to silence Revelin’s voice. I bit my lower lip as I settled onto my bed, realizing that my body was reacting rather vividly. My mind decided to supply nude images of my mentor and I hissed. “Damn it!” And I ended up resorting to something I hadn’t done since I was seventeen…lube, and my hand.

Every moan, grunt, and gasp seemed to fuel my overactive imagination. I worked my shaft quickly and without restraint, wanting to release the pressure as soon as possible. My core throbbed and pulsed as searing blood coursed through the veins. My thumb drew circles around the head, dipping into the slit, just as I tossed my head back and gasped. In the distance, I heard the sound of my mentor’s voice as he fell over his peak. A few strokes later, and I whined as I finally found release.

When the sun rose the next day, I found it difficult at first to forgive myself. But, it really was only a matter of time. I wasn’t in a relationship and I didn’t resort to porn anymore like when I was a teenager. Knowing fully well that I found Revelin’s body attractive, I should have known better than to cave into such temptations. Regardless, what was done was done. I’m not perfect either. I’m not the first, nor will I ever be the last to lust after a superior. Lust was normal, everyone dealt with it differently. Damn it, there was  _nothing_  wrong with-

“You have the most ridiculously adorable, muffled moan I have ever heard from afar.”

I found myself spitting the coffee I was drinking right back into my large mug. My ears, along with my cheeks, were bound to be pink.

“Were you whimpering through a nightmare, perhaps?” Revelin asked in a deceptively innocent tone of voice.

“Perhaps,” I replied quietly after cleaning up the mess I made of the coffee. I refused to elaborate. If my mentor had perceived any noises from last night as being the result of nightmares, then I was going to let him  _believe_  it.

“You seem a little jumpy this morning. It shouldn't be anything that a training session shouldn’t fix.”

I covered my face with a hand. I really wasn’t looking forward to training. With a silent prayer to the cosmos asking the universe to keep my body in check, I made my way to the basement. The training that day was focused on Vim manipulation and spell binding. I relentlessly tossed my signature bindings in the direction of my mentor, but he somehow managed to swing them right back at me as if they were merely colored boomerangs. They constricted around my shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees, and ankles. I felt my stomach drop with the sensation of falling as I smacked into the hard floor underneath. Grant you, I had been slowly letting go of such useless feelings of 'humiliation' and 'embarrassment', but only  _most_  of the time.

“Well, are you going to set me loose or not? I want another go!” I growled.

Revelin walked over to my position and crouched down to poke a finger to my forehead. “Undo your bindings yourself. You must learn to exert complete control of the particles that make up your signature Vim at all times. No one else can manipulate it but you.” He explained.

When I got around to doing just that, I pulled myself up to a sitting position and rubbed my wrists where the binding had constricted against the skin. These were the kinds of details that they didn't teach you at the academy. I never even realized that I could control the particles of my signature Vim to that extent. “If no one else can manipulate it, then how were you able to toss my bindings back at me?”

“That,” My mentor replied with a smirk as he actually reached down a hand to lift me up. “Is going to have to wait for another lesson.”

When he pulled me up, he used a little too much force and I ended up bracing my hands against his chest. When I gazed up into his multi-hued blue eyes, I noted that he had an unreadable thought behind them. Before I was able to study it any further, he pulled away and walked towards the portal.

“Darenvy awaits,” He stated. He turned slightly to look at me over his shoulder. “Oh, and Cy?” I could practically hear the teasing purr in his voice. “It really  _is_  the most adorable moan of sensual pleasure that I have heard in a while...”

He walked through to the other side before I was able to strangle him.

 


	6. Don't Lower Your Guard

**_ Revelin’s Point of View: _ **

My name is Revelin Eferize.

I've faced a myriad of difficulties in my life, but what was that saying? Sometimes the present holds more weight than the past? A Wanderer should never work alone, though I've ended up having to do so plenty of times in the past. I never intended to keep any assigned assistant for very long because I had never been struck by the desire to have a permanent partner to share in the limelight. At least, not until recently.

Cyrus Kairos was a _dangerous_ young man. His 'don't you dare touch me' aura seemed to surround him by about a meter. He was stubborn, only yielding when he had absolutely no other choice left. He caged his Vim deep inside so tightly that it's turned him into a ticking time bomb. He didn't seem to be the type to give up a mission, so I had no other option than to train the hell out of him. None of my other assigned assistants in the past had such raw potential.

And then, there was the more _immediate_ problem. I was starting to lust after him. Don't look at me like that! If it weren't for the fact that he was actually a decade older than he looked, I wouldn't even have such a problem. I blame his hair. The platinum hue seemed to be unique to him, as I've only seen variations of it in other people...and the short curls were a constant temptation for me to thread my fingers through them just to play with them. And the fire behind the glares he shot at me! I've been glared at time and time again by fuming lovers whenever they asked for more than I chose to give, but I had never been glared at just for existing. So far, I had been able to keep my laughter to myself, but I wouldn't doubt that he'd attack me should I actually laugh in his face.

He wasn't even _trying_ to seduce me. For the longest time, it seemed as if he abhorred anything to do with sensuality. But then, that one night...

:::::::::

When Cy asked for his room to be soundproofed, I realized that the loud noises were keeping him from a restful sleep. I couldn't very well have the blonde stuffed in a soundproofed bubble, as it would render him inattentive to any possible dangers. So, I rigged it up in my room, instead. I became so concerned for his safety that I even began to monitor his room while I tried to ease my everyday frustrations at night.

My companion that night was a young man around the same height as my assistant with light brown hair and eyes. He preferred to be taken while on all fours. Perhaps he wanted to imagine another lover. I certainly didn't mind, as it allowed me to keep my sight on the wall, where I had formed a particle screen that showed me my assistant's room. As my companion became louder, his head was encased in the soundproofed bubble so that only he could hear his own cries.

That was when I made the first big mistake. When I looked up, Cyrus was biting his lower lip, his hazel eyes darkened with the first hints of lust I had ever seen on his face. I couldn't help the husky groan that escaped me at the sight. Then, I was treated to the sight of Cy masturbating with abandon. The scene should have been ridiculous, since the blonde was wearing those horrendous pajamas...but, the expressions on his face were amazing. I found myself thrusting harder into my companion, almost as if with a purpose. I matched every stroke of Cyrus's hand, wanting nothing more than for it to have been _my_ hand, just as I would rather have been pounding into the blonde's heat.

When I saw Cyrus tossing his head back, his body set in an arch, I cried out my release. And then, I heard the softest of whimpers coming from down the hall. I vowed to add audio to my particle screen one day, as I wish I could have recorded it. "Cyrus," I hissed aloud as I ran a hand through my hair and tugged at the dark strands. That night, I didn't feel as if I had released any of my frustrations at all.

::::::::::

Naturally, I ended up tossing some of that frustration into training and got us back to work, though not before a little teasing of course. That day was the day that Prince Saul had arrived to officially court Princess Dandelion. I was hesitant to leave Cyrus on his own to guard the princess not only from the prince, but also from that blasted brown bird of a magician, Duncan. But, that was what working in pairs was all about, as I already had my hands full with Prince Damien.

"We’re chaperoning my sister on her date from a distance...?" Prince Damien questioned. We were both mounted on horses and viewing the picnic from afar.

"Precisely," I replied without missing a beat. The prince peered over at my direction and I felt my eye beginning to twitch.

"Is that so? Because your sight seems to be set more on _Sir Kairos_ than my sister..." I could practically hear the childish teasing in his voice.

"From my point of view, 'Sir Kairos' is the biggest threat out of all four them," I growled back. I took a deep breath and let it out in a calming sigh. "Forgive me. Your sister's intentions are rather honorable, it's what both kingdoms have been trying to accomplish for years. But, there are still those that prefer to keep the kingdoms in a state of war. They tend to sacrifice their own countries for wealth and power alone."

"My parents said the same thing," Prince Damien admitted, solemnly. "Well, I certainly hope that it doesn’t come to that."

My eyes narrowed as they settled onto a scene that grated my nerves. The blasted bird had the gall to ruffle Cyrus's hair. My assistant brushed it off as nothing, but as a bodyguard, he shouldn’t have let his guard down for even that much. When Duncan tossed his arm around Cyrus's shoulder, I just about snapped. "Damien, we're going to have to interrupt your sister's date." I warned before urging both the horses forward. Four sets of eyes widened as we approached. "Forgive the intrusion, but I request a word with the 'food taster'."

Cyrus looked up at me in surprise before shrugging Duncan's arm off and following me. I made sure we weren't too far away. I pulled out a notepad and wrote down rapidly all I needed to say before handing it over for the blonde to do the same. We alternated between keeping an eye on the group and writing on the pad.

**_R: You shouldn't be letting your guard down around that magician messenger, he's more dangerous than he seems._ **

_C: I haven't let down my guard at all! I'm only pretending to have my guard down to lull them into a false sense of security!_

**_R: Pretend any further and you really will lose your guard, not to mention be subjected to molesting._ **

_C: What the hell are you talking about!?_

::::::::::

**_ Princess Dandelion’s Point of View: _ **

"Is it just me, or do they look like they are writing love notes to one another?" I wondered aloud, a smile threatening to form on my face. I noticed right away that there was something different about Sir Kairos. Our godfather was most attentive of him.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were right..." My brother replied.

I took care not to roll my eyes at his informal speech. If given the chance, he would Wander like our godfather and continue to butcher our country’s language. The two of us were fraternal twins, so we had as many differences as any other set of siblings. But, every now and again, we shared the same thoughts. This time, I knew that Damien had noticed it, too. The Wanderers were quite humorous to watch.

"Nonsense," Duncan declared stiffly. "Sir Cy deserves someone more _refined_ by his side, not some brute."

I let out a long sigh as I turned my attention to the neighboring prince that I was growing rather fond of. "Saul, I'm afraid we have to cut our picnic short." I stated.

Prince Saul gave me a smile, reaching over to kiss the back of my hand. "If that sigh of disappointment is a sign that you _regret_ parting from me, then I shall depart with a lighter heart." He led Duncan to their shared mount, where his own bodyguards stood guard, and waved a rather regal goodbye. Damien and I responded in kind.

My brother and I looked at each other for a moment before glancing back at the two Wanderers, who were still busy with their notepad battle. That was when I decided that enough was enough. "Revelin! Sir Kairos! Prince Saul has already departed!"

:::::::::

**_ Revelin’s Point of View: _ **

"Yes, he's been gone for the last three minutes."

"Of course, he's been gone for a while."

I raised a brow when Cyrus replied around the same time that I did. I read the last line on the notepad before placing it in my pocket with a smirk. I shouldn't have been so pleased with the last sentence, but I couldn’t deny that I was. ' _I have no interest in hummingbirds whatsoever_ ,' indeed. 

\--


	7. If You Lurch, Find a Church

**_ Cyrus’s Point of View: _ **

“...and that is why you must always observe your surroundings at all times.” My mentor finished his lecture. “Any questions?”

The two of us were invited to the elementary academy as guest speakers. When I noted that none of the kids dared to even raise their hands, I held up my own. “How  _did_  you single-handedly save an entire town from a tsunami?” I barely held back a snicker as the room became rowdy with excitement.

“You saved a whole TOWN?”

“What's a sue-namiee?”

Revelin seemed to be weighing his words, but after a moment, he held out his hands for silence.  “Earthquakes sometime cause large waves to form in the ocean. The waves are referred to as tsunamis. And I'll begin by saying that I did _not_ save the town from the tsunami...the tsunami was going to hit the town hard, regardless. And it most certainly wasn’t ‘single-handedly’, I had help.”

He waved me over and I reluctantly moved from my seated, akimbo position behind the kids and walked over to him. All of the reports I had browsed about the incident never mentioned anyone else helping Revelin during the ordeal. I was rather curious as to who it was that helped him. He handed me a bowl and placed a square building block inside it.

“This brown bowl represents the town,” Revelin explained. “The island had incredibly high terrain and the inhabitants formed the city on the only coast that they could find.” He used his Vim to flatten down one side of the brown bowl to make it appear as if the other edge of it was a semi-circle of mountain terrain while the flat part was the beach. “We were sitting ducks.”

My mentor used his Vim to color his hand blue and used it to represent one of the waves of the tsunami. His hand covered the green block and slowly dragged away. He repeated this action a couple of more times for the waves that surely came afterwards. “Now, this town was a mid-way point for people of all kinds. They all went there for the market’s variety, as they sold goods from a lot of different places. I was one of the people that went there to search for certain supplies. So, I was there when we caught sight of the wall of water!” He turned himself completely blue and curled his arms above him as he leaned over the children, pretending to be the tsunami itself.

I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped me when I heard the squealing of some of the children. My mentor was certainly creative in his re-inaction of the events. Though he spoke of aiding children in the past through charities, I didn’t realize just how serious he was about caring for children. Not many Wanderers had children of their own, so perhaps Revelin did his best to help them from afar.

“My instincts told me that if I figured out a way to place a barrier over the town…” Revelin continued as he took one of my hands and closed it over the green block. “At the very least, it could help stall for time. But, to hold a barrier of such a size for such a long time required a lot more Vim than I could wield on my own. What was I to do?” He turned to the kids and asked. “What would _you_ have done?”

“Stick together?” A little girl supplied timidly.

Ah, it was one of the more frustrating lessons the academy tried to teach us.  _Under duress, defensive compress; in a tether, stick together._  And what a shame it was that, in true chaos, most choose flight over fight. I could almost imagine the look of aggravation on Revelin’s face as he scoured the city for any Vim carriers that hadn’t left.

“I would like to add one more line to that saying,” My mentor stated, standing straight, and with a finger tapping his chin. “ _If you lurch, find a church_.” He motioned towards the top of the green block. “And there  _was_  a church on higher ground towards the back of the city. The bells were ringing constantly, calling for everyone to reach higher ground and seek shelter…”

By this point, Revelin had the undivided attention of everyone in the room, including the teachers. It was as if we could all envision the remaining people of the town huddling together inside that one building, awaiting the inevitable.

“As I ran up the path that led to the church, I ran through my options,” Revelin admitted. “If there were any remaining Vim carriers, they would probably be in the church. But, if there was no one else, I would have to make a smaller barrier to protect only those that were inside the church, as they were the closest in proximity.” He paused as he swept his gaze along the children. “You must always prepare for the worst, even as you hope for the best.”

In order to ease the tension in the room, I snorted through my nose. “Clearly you must have found someone, or the town would have been worse for wear.” I pointed out. “Just tell us what happened already.” His smirk would always irk me.

“I did find Vim carriers, two priests and three volunteers. I was capable of forming the barrier, and they helped support it until the tsunami had passed.” That being said, my mentor released the Vim that turned him blue and his appearance was finally normal once more. “Neither the priests nor the volunteers wanted to deal with the reporters, so they dumped all of the credit on me, which is also why you should never completely believe everything you read.”

“I want to know how to make a barrier!”

“Can you show us how?”

“I wanna try, too!”

I looked on as my mentor showed each child how to form a miniature barrier. The sound of his laughter seemed to wash over me and I realized that I had never truly heard him laugh before. I nearly jumped when our eyes met, as I didn’t even realize I was staring. I held my breath as he walked over and took hold of my hand to show me how to form a barrier around it. He then motioned to the other half of the class and, with a nod, I began to show them how to make miniature barriers as well.

::::::::

Though we had only been with the children a few hours, I felt rather tired. I was hoping that my mentor would forgo training, but I should have known better. The third time my left butt cheek hit the ground, I simply yawned and flopped right where I had landed. “Mr. Eferize,” I whined. “I’m too tired today. Can we _not_ train for just one day? Whoa!” I gasped as I was suddenly upended back onto my feet. “Oh, for crying out loud…” I grumbled and couldn’t help but glare at him.

“Cyrus Kairos,” He hissed. “I’m not doing this for my own personal pleasure, despite the fact that it may  _appear_  that way. You can’t tell me that you have no idea how much power you have locked away inside you. Isn’t  _that_  where your true exhaustion lies? And you just don’t trust me enough to tell me why!”

I felt my throat tighten a bit. He had never been angry enough to yell or call me by my full name before. “N-noticed that, have you? Then again, the great  _Revelin Eferize_  knows just about everything, doesn’t he?” I bit back sarcastically.

“No, I clearly don’t,” He replied as he began to invade my personal space. “And if you chose to block your  _own_  path to progress, then I am afraid that you are going to have to suffer my presence for a  _very_  long time. You are a danger to others as well as to yourself this way.”

I flinched when he reached out a hand towards me, feeling alarmed and wary. But, my mentor simply settled his hand on my shoulder. I couldn’t believe that such a defensive reflex had returned to me. I thought I was rid of such paranoid feelings long ago. Feeling rather contrite, I lifted my head, an apology on my tongue. But, I was startled once again when that very tongue was captured in a sudden kiss that caused my system so much more stress. I was still tense and shaking when Revelin pulled away, but when he leaned down a second time, I was more prepared.

My hands fisted into his shirt as I tugged him for leverage, slowly inching onto my toes to dominate the kiss. It was only fair. He caught me unaware that first time, so naturally,  _this_  kiss belonged to me. I took full advantage to taste and suck at my mentor’s tongue. I smirked when I felt his hands on my waist, as if he wanted to lift me up even higher for more contact. But, by then, I had already shaken off the feeling of surprise. “Heh. You want to tame the beast inside me?” I challenged. “Fine. But, you should know that taming my Vim  _won’t_  be easy.” I told him as I walked ahead of him towards the Arch-Passage. “And neither will  _I_.”

 


	8. Peeping and Eavesdropping

 

**_ Cyrus’s Point of View: _ **

I licked my lips as I walked through the Arch-Passage and back into the basement of the Eferize mansion. If I closed my eyes, I could remember what the warmth of Revelin's tongue sliding along mine felt like, along with the press of our lips. The memory was still fresh, but the moment was brief. In spite of myself, I wanted to make more memories of the like. Grasping onto that small bit of warmth, I turned to face my mentor. "I have two older brothers. They each married their opposites. The brother that favored romance and family married an adventuress wife. The brother that favored adventure and excitement married an older woman who was already bored of such things."

My mentor didn't make a move to interrupt me. He simply sat on top of a table and regarded me with folded arms and a nod. "Though I was exposed to the adventuress since childhood, we never formed a very close bond. It was the older woman that seemed to take any interest in me," I explained. "I was a naive, young thing. Always jumping at the slightest touch from anyone. But, I made the effort to allow  _her_ , my oldest sister in law, to touch me. All in the attempt of forming a close bond with her." With a sigh, I rubbed my left upper arm with my right hand and stared at the ground. "She took advantage of my intentions and she started to molest me and grope me whenever no one was attentive. One night, when I slept over at my brother's house, she decided that she wanted even more..."

I felt more than saw Revelin's eyes on my face. "I just wanted it over and done with. I wished so hard that she would stop her advances after taking what she wanted, but she seemed to have a single-minded focus." I continued. "One day, she started beating up her own six year old son into the ground and I ran over to shield him, but the blows kept coming. I was filled with fury. It was as if everything that had ever frustrated me about her accumulated into absolute  _rage_." I held up my hands and looked at them as my fingers curled, tensed in the memory of such ire. "If I had ever doubted being a Vim carrier before that day, it was blatantly apparent when I hurled all of my Vim into her with such force that she smashed through the first layer of the wall down the hallway. I had broken her ribs, but she lived."

"The Elders took one look at my nephew and myself and deemed it self-defense. That's when I was invited into the Academy." I finished. "I was twelve years old. And I was so appalled by what I had done, that I could have killed anyone in a fit of rage, that I subconsciously sealed the majority of the Vim inside of me." I raised a frowning face towards my mentor. "A part of me can't bring myself to hate her, but my body still dislikes being...handled. Especially by women. So long as I'm the one in control and doing the touching, I'm fine. But, I still tend to be a bit jumpy and tense when others touch me without my consent."

Revelin unfolded his arms and motioned for me to come over. I approached him slowly, still trying to shake off the shadows of memories and emotions of the past. He extended his right hand, his multi-hued blue eyes staring steadily at me. He was giving me a choice. Did I trust him enough to reach for that hand, or didn't I? After a moment of hesitation, I clasped my own right hand within his. His grip was warm and sturdy, strong enough that I wouldn't be able to let go unless he released the hold first.

A smirk was already forming on his face before he even began to speak. "I, Revelin Eferize, hereby vow to fully train and watch over one Cyrus Kairos as he progresses and grows into his own abilities. Until the moment that he is recognized as a full-fledged Wanderer, he shall be officially referred to as my Assistant." He leaned just a little closer and my face subconsciously leaned back about the same distance. My eyes narrowed in suspicion as he pointed to his lips. "Time to seal the contract."

"A kiss? Really?" I questioned dryly. He simply nodded as he tried, unsuccessfully, to hide his widening grin. I let out a long sigh, reaching over with my left hand, and threading my fingers tightly through dark locks to hold his head in place. I closed the distance between us and firmly pressed my lips against his. Sure enough, I felt swirls of Vim surrounding our enclosed hands, as well as a tingle that ran along our parted lips when I pulled away.

The smile he gave me was so pleased that I had to suppress the strange shiver that rolled down my body. “I'm looking forward to working with you,” He admitted.

::::::::

I emerged from the bathroom across my room barefoot and in nothing but a robe. I was rather grateful for the heaters that kept the mansion warm on cold nights. After we came back from the training platform, I hadn't physically seen my mentor taking anyone to his quarters. And yet, I still heard the familiar sounds of his usual nightly activities drifting down the hall. By that point, I figured that I really did  _not_  want to know who he was pounding into his mattress. I threw all caution to the wind, knowing fully well that I was being nothing more than a sneaky pervert, and took advantage of the sound of his husky voice.

After smoothing out the covers on the bed, I decided to be a little more daring. I undid the ties of my robe and laid myself down, allowing the robe to slide open on either side of me. The warm air rolled over my nude form, and I squirmed sinuously onto the covers. The sound of my mentor's voice once again became my sole focus. I frowned slightly when I heard heated instructions being growled down the hall.

 _"Sit up…"_  A groan.

Without even realizing it, I pulled myself onto a sitting position. Just what were they doing in there?

 _"That's it,"_  A growl.  _"Hold still."_

I shifted and huffed. My mentor seemed to be really enjoying that particular lover. Well, who needed him? I could find my own pleasure.

_"Now spread your legs a little wider...damn!"_

I settled onto my knees and slid my hands up my thighs, and began to stroke myself, my hand swiveling under and over my hardening shaft.

 _"Yes,"_  A hiss.  _"Ride me nice and rough. Don't hold back!"_

For some strange reason, my imagination began to run wild. I started to envision literally having Revelin beneath me to the point that I was half humping the sheets as I pumped myself. "Shit!" I gasped as I was overcome with heat.

Unfortunately, neither of us were meant to find release that night, because the sound of paper being crumpled and torn startled me into a skidding halt. I righted myself, my back straight, as I glanced all around me to seek the source of the noise.

**"Cyrus! _Move_ it!"**

I nearly jumped right off my bed, but when I saw Revelin frantically motioning for me in the doorway, I quickly tied my robe back into place and padded out into the hall. As soon as my feet crossed the threshold, Revelin grabbed my elbow and took off down the hall towards the stairs. It was amazing how, in chaotic situations, my mind seemed to think faster than normal. "Wait, how did you hear the noise in my room? I thought you were in a soundproof barrier!"

"Now's not really the time for questions!" He barked over his shoulder as we made our way to the basement.

I peeked over my own shoulder and realized that we were being chased by, what appeared to be, shadows of all sizes with multi-colored visors. "What the hell are those!?"

"I thought I said no questions!" He whined as he activated a setting on the Arch-Passage that I hadn't gone to before.

I yelped when the "shadows" reached the stairs leading down to the basement. "Why are they after us?"

Revelin simply tugged my elbow and pulled me through the arch.

::::::::::::

“Is  _now_ a good time for asking questions?” I stated in a sharp tone of voice. The two of us were on the edge of an oasis in the middle of the desert. Worse, the oasis had no return Arch-Passage in it. When Revelin reluctantly nodded, I began my barrage of questions. “Where are we?” I asked as I used the water in the oasis to try to wash my hands clean of the lube I had used merely moments before.

 

“I was dared to create a passage to this oasis. It was actually a running joke. I never thought I would actually have use of it one day,” He explained. “We are in a dimension that is not particularly fond of me.”

“Is that why there isn’t a return Arch-Passage on this side?”

“This passage isn't a preset, I simply used the Arch to aim us in the direction of this dimension.”

I decided to distract myself from panicking about the fact that we were virtually stranded with no Arch-Passage. “What were those things that were chasing us?” I continued, drying my hands on my robe and standing back up.

“Minions, actually. As to who they belong to, I could only guess…” Revelin mused. “I have it narrowed down to one of three possible suspects.”

“ _Why_  were they chasing us?”

“Their master probably sent them to capture me. They probably thought that your room wasn’t being monitored-” He stopped and tutted loudly when he realized that he had outed himself. “Listen, I can explain…”

“You were  _monitoring_  my room!?” I accused, jaw agape. “What part of a  _privacy_  form don’t you understand?” I folded my arms across my chest and glared flaming daggers at him.

“The privacy form specifically stated 'no  _physical_  defiling or entering of the room', it stated  _nothing_  about monitoring from a distance.”

My eyes widened as the last few puzzle pieces fit into place. “There wasn’t anyone in your room tonight…were you… _goading_  me!?”

“Damned if you have  _any_  idea how sexy you are when you’re not wearing those  _ridiculous_  pajamas!” He growled.

Blood rushed to my face so fast that I probably resembled a ripe tomato. “So,  _you’re_  the victim now? I wasn’t the one peeping!”

“But, you certainly were  _eavesdropping_.”

“Are you two quite done?” The two of us froze in mid-argument as we turned our gazes to the sound of a giggling voice. It belonged to a tanned boy with waist-length, blue dreadlocks and golden yellow eyes. His ears were slightly pointed and he seemed to have a strange, almost ethereal glow beneath his skin.

“Who are-” I began before Revelin rushed forward to hug the boy.

“Makith!”

“Lin!”

“You haven’t aged a day!” Revelin noted.

“And you haven’t aged enough,” Makith replied with a snicker. “At least, from what I’ve seen.” He settled those golden eyes on me and pointed. “Introduce me to your friend.”

“I thought you said that we were in a dimension that  _wasn't_  very fond of you.” I commented out loud.

“If you want me to be more accurate, then I'll say that Makith is in the roughly ten percent of this dimension that  _is_  fond of me.” He returned his gaze to the golden-eyed boy. “This is my assistant, Cyrus.”

The boy's movements were lithe and light-footed. I was curious to find out just what his genetic background was. He extended his hand for me to shake. I raised an eyebrow, wondering if shaking hands was a similar custom of greeting for him, or if Revelin had taught him as much in the past. As I shook his hand, I realized that he was just a little shorter than me. We could almost look one another in the eye. “I really don't mean to offend, but what are you, exactly?”

“He's an oasis nymph.” Revelin spoke up to reply. “Where we're standing right now is the equivalence of a tree house to him. His kind live in a protected paradise somewhere in the desert.”

“My kind  _used_  to live in a protected paradise,” Makith corrected. “But, they fled to the tropics after a terrible siege.” His expression soured as he glanced up at my mentor. “Lin, a lot has changed since you were last cast out...”

I wanted to ask what he meant by my mentor being cast out, but the tone of his voice sounded rather rushed and unstable. He was even beginning to make  _me_  anxious.

“Is there a safe place we can talk?” Revelin asked.

Makith nodded. “I can send us to one of the islands. It should be safer there.”

I watched warily as Makith stepped into the small pool of water that I had just washed my hands in. As soon as he was waist-deep into it, the water began to swirl around him. I didn't like the look of it one bit. “I'm not sure this is the best type of transportation to take...”

My mentor said nothing. His smirk silently spoke many words that I had heard before. He reached out a hand towards me. And, though it almost killed me to accept any kind of help, I placed my hand in his. We were trapped in an unfamiliar dimension with a blue-haired 'nymph' leading the way to an unfamiliar island. All I could do was suck in my pride and allow the warmth of Revelin's hand to help keep me stable as I stepped into the swirling water.


	9. Strolling Through Memory Lane

 

**_ Cyrus’s Point of View: _ **

My body was clinging rather shamelessly to my mentor when we seemed to drop through the water at the speed of a sky dive, only to slow down about half-way and shoot back up as if being catapulted out of the water. I wasn't the biggest fan of roller coasters. When we emerged within a fountain in the middle of a town, I quickly detached myself from my mentor and frantically tightened the ties of my bathrobe. I didn't want to accidentally flash anyone, regardless of which dimension we were in. "What?" I questioned sharply when Makith shot me a strange glance with his golden eyes.

"I was simply going to suggest finding you both more clothing." Makith replied.

The fountain that the three of us were standing in created the center of an open market. What I assumed to be nymphs of all kinds were shopping for groceries and clothes while other nymphs took up entertainment with music and skits. My focus fell to the rough cobblestone roads. "...can we get some shoes first?"

"Need me to carry you?"

"Absolutely not." I immediately declined my mentor's offer.

"This way," Makith urged, stepping out of the fountain and onto the cobblestone without so much as a wince.

As we cautiously followed the nymph, I spoke in hushed tones with Revelin. "You said you narrowed the suspects down to three?"

"For someone to form a dimension rip directly into my home, they would need exact coordinates. The only people I truly gave such information to were my assistants." He explained his reasoning.

"I don't know the exact coordinates of the mansion." I pointed out.

"That's because I've only recently begun to fully trust you."

"Fair enough. So, we're looking at a Vim carrier, possibly an old assistant of yours..." I mused aloud. "Any idea what those shadow-like creatures were?"

"Did you just say shadow-like?" Makith questioned, stopping completely in his tracks and nearly causing Revelin to walk right into him.

"Yes, with different colored...objects over half their faces. They looked like visors to me."

"Such creatures were reported to have been seen during the attack on the kingdom," Makith informed them.

Revelin stiffened beside me. "Here as well?" He wondered aloud. I wondered if he was still trying to narrow his suspicions to a single person, but he simply sighed. "No, I'm certain that I've brought more than a handful of people to this particular dimension."

Makith snorted. "My home dimension is most welcoming. Visiting and moving in are not crimes. Ill intent combined with destruction is."

"In light of that information, how can we be sure that they were after  _you_ , Mr. Eferize?" I questioned.

My mentor visibly winced. "You still insist on not calling me by my first name?" He asked in a wounded tone of voice that I did my best to ignore. "But, to answer your question, should they have wanted to cause chaos in our dimension, they would have attacked the main province,  _not_  my family mansion."

Makith gave us both an unreadable glance for a moment, and then he turned to open the door to one of the shops. To my relief, there were simple shoes of all kinds along with sandals hanging on the walls. That particular shop was stocked with clothes and equipment. It reminded me of a sports store. The sizes were written in a language I couldn't read, so I held the clothes to myself as I quickly gathered a pair of navy blue shorts and a plain gray shirt. I grabbed a pair of gray sandals and looked pleadingly towards Makith. The blue-haired nymph laughed.

"Do not worry, friend," Makith said as he paid for everything. "No one would feel comfortable if they wandered into another dimension in clothes meant to be used in private..." He held up a hand to silence Revelin before my mentor could throw his two cents in. "No one with reasonable modesty."

I shook my head when I saw my mentor's smug expression and quickly slipped into a dressing room to change. The shop didn't sell underwear, but something was better than nothing. A part of me wanted to ask Makith why he considered me a 'friend' so soon. One would think that, after his dimension being under attack, the nymph would be a little more paranoid about trusting strangers. Such thoughts drifted through my mind as I walked out of the dressing room. By the time I reached the other two, I caught the end of their conversation.

"...cannot believe you went that far, our Alcaid is probably turning in his grave in disgrace!" Makith hissed. When he noticed that I was close by, a look of pity formed on his face.

"I'm going to get changed," My mentor uttered as he speed-walked to the dressing rooms.

Hmm, I thought to myself. Though I was getting ready to ask if they had been talking about me, Makith beat me right to it.

"Do not worry," He told me softly enough so that only I could hear him. "The rooms you will be staying in have anti-Vim enchantments, so your privacy will be completely secure."

I could feel the heat of my blush all the way down to the back of my neck. I just couldn't bring myself to tell him that I was a bigger danger to myself, having limited self-control. Hell, I was still trying to come to terms with it myself. And that bastard didn't help at all by shoving his tongue down my throat and making up a contract around a kiss. "H-how long have you and Mr. Eferize known each other?"

The concern on Makith's face slowly morphed into childlike glee. "We studied at the Academy together." He explained. "We were two of the five brightest students in our year. Naturally, we were all competitive with each other and argued often. It wasn't until our final years at the Academy that we finally managed to get along...Revelin, Itharos, Alexandra, Verity, and myself. We were a force to reckon with." The smile fell off his face. "If any one of them had been here at the time of the attack...it would have been an immense help."

"If any  _two_  of us had been here, their forces would have had to retreat," Revelin added as he rejoined us. He placed a hand on Makith's shoulder. "The kingdom can always be rebuilt. What is important is that the majority of you lived to see another day." He had chosen to wear a sleeveless white shirt with a dark burgundy blouse over it along with long pants that seemed to be made out of a soft material in black. My mentor had opted for sandals as well.

I tried to keep myself from staring, but it was difficult. "So, you two were schoolmates." I commented, trying to change the subject back to something a little lighter, for Makith's sake. "Did my mentor ever go through a teenage punk phase where he either dyed or spiked up his hair?" I asked the nymph.

Makith beamed. "He did shave it. He lost a rather intense game of cards between the five of us."

"Yeah, yeah," Revelin scoffed as he waved his finger in front of Makith's face. "You didn't come out of that game unscathed either. You never  _did_  tell me how Itharos's kiss tasted...that was quite a tent he had after your lap dance. We all thought that he would cream his pants."

Makith's blush had a very pale lilac tint to it. How interesting. I had never seen anyone blush that color before. "You wouldn't happen to have any pictures of him with his shaved head, would you?"

"I'm afraid that any pictures I had were lost..." Makith admitted. He turned his attention back to Revelin. "How are the others? Is there any way we can get into contact with them?"

"Itharos and Verity wander through entirely different dimensions. The last time I saw Verity was some time before the tsunami incident. And I haven't seen Itharos since our last reunion..." Revelin thought aloud. "Lexie still has her bracelet, so I'm sure we can get a hold of her without much difficulty."

The nymph smiled gently. "It will be nice to see Alexandra again, despite the circumstances."

The two of them had lost me halfway down their trip through memory lane, but I waited patiently until they began to walk to the residential area of the island. Makith warned that, since the rooms had anti-Vim enchantments, the only way to keep the room from getting too hot was through electric fans. I was starting to miss the mansion already.

:::::::::::::

**_ Princess Dandelion’s Point of View: _ **

“Revelin told us that, should anything happen to him, he would let us know within twenty-four hours,” my brother spoke in hushed tones as we stood in front of the Wanderer’s Arch-Passage. We had no news of our godfather or of Sir Kairos for a day and an half.

“Prince Saul and Duncan are here and our parents are not,” I pointed out. “What am I to do? I cannot very well attend to them without a bodyguard.”

“Take one of the royal guards as his replacement,” Damien suggested. “We’re going to have to attend to them as is.”

When we approached the great hall with two royal guards to greet Prince Saul and his entourage, it was Duncan who immediately noticed the Wanderers’ absences.

“Is Sir Kairos not with you today?” Duncan asked. “And what happened to your uncouth bodyguard?”

Damien’s smile was strained. “They are on vacation. They should return by the end of the month.” The statement was followed by a moment of awkward silence.

“As a food taster, it would be irresponsible for Sir Kairos to leave on such short notice without leaving the princess in the safe hands of another trusted food taster,” Duncan decided. “Has something happened to him?”

When those words were treated with more silence, Prince Saul spoke with a firm tone of voice. “If we are to have any trust between the royal families, someone must be willing to bow first. Tell us the truth.”

Damien and I looked at one another for a brief moment. “Sir Revelin and Sir Kairos are not just our bodyguard and food taster…”

“And by that, you mean…?” Saul prompted.

**

“Wanderers!?” Duncan cried as he seemed to take in all the details of the Arch-Passage. “This is my first time seeing an Arch-Passage physically before.”

“They have been missing for over twenty-four hours?” Saul affirmed.

“Yes,” I replied, a small hint of my own worry bleeding through my words. “Revelin has watched over us since we were nine years old. He told us that if we had absolutely no word from him in more than a day, that something must have happened to him…”

I saw my brother pacing behind us. “Sister, I think I’m going to search for him. He’s saved us time and time again. It’s time to return the favor.”

“Damien…” I gasped. “But, am I to lose my  _brother_ , as well?”

“Think about it,” He insisted. “We’re the  _only_  ones who know how to activate the Arch-Passage. If we leave it at the last dimension he set it on, I should be able to go through and find him.”

“I’m coming with you,” Duncan volunteered. “I am more adept at magic, anyhow. And I’m anxious to find what has happened to Sir Kairos.”

“Duncan,” Saul warned. I was surprised to see the prince’s vivid green eyes narrowing. “I cannot allow that.”

Duncan peered at Saul over his shoulder, his own darker green eyes sharp. “Who are you to stop me?” The tension between them was so cold that it burned. “Prince Damien, count me in.”

“Forgive me, sister.” My brother said as he gave me a tight hug. “I just can’t sit by and do nothing.”

As the two of us watched Duncan and Damien walk through the Arch-Passage, I turned to look up at Saul. “Now, then…what exactly did Duncan mean by ‘ _who are you to stop me_ ,’ my dear Saul?”

:::::::::::::::::::

**_ Prince Damien’s Point of View: _ **

I felt Duncan clutching at my arm as we appeared in the middle of a town square that was full to the brim of bustling people and felt my golden eyes narrow.

"Just where do you think we might be?" He asked, the stress in his voice causing it to sound an octave higher than normal.

I glanced down at the spiky brown hair that covered the top of Duncan's head. With a sigh, I lightly scratched the top of my own pale blonde hair as I took in the surroundings. People of all shapes and sizes walked around with balloons and hats that had strange, round-looking ears on them. "We are not in our own dimension anymore, that's for sure." I did a double-take when I saw two gigantic chipmunks walking past us on hind legs. "And we're certainly not in Revelin's mansion."

We decided not to wander from the area that we had been transported to. But, even then, several children kept asking to take pictures with us and asked for our signature. Neither of us knew what to say when we were asked what 'movie' we were promoting.

**

**_ Alexandra’s Point of View: _ **

I fell asleep at my work desk again. Many doors were opened for me when I managed to make it to the top three of my year while in the academy. Though I had started off Wandering, I ended up setting roots in this dimension the moment I had developed a passion for fashionable shoes. Though a mocha skin tone was commonly found among the masses, my violet hair and lilac eyes were not. So, I was forced to dye my hair black and wear brown contacts in order to be taken seriously.

It was quite a shame, as I was known for my violet hair back at the academy. In the academy, I had forged close friendships with the other top four of our year. At first, the whole lot of us went at it like roosters. But, though some matured more than others, we had all matured just enough to finally get along. Before we graduated, I made a charm bracelet and had each charm infused with the signature Vim of each of my friends. That way, whenever any of them used their Vim in the same dimension, that person's charm would glow and I would be able to meet with that friend.

At that moment, the most irritating of all the charms glowed brightly against my face, rousing me from my impromptu nap. I frowned as my eyes cracked open, peering at the phallic-shaped charm glowing a bright blue hue. "Limber? Goddamn it, it would be you of all people," I grumbled as I stretched and got out of my chair. "Guess I better pick your ass up before you start chasing after anything on two legs." When I used my Vim to teleport to the location of Revelin's Vim, I ended up stumbling right onto two Bisney characters. "Whoa, you aren't Revelin..." I concluded as I raised an eyebrow. I took a good look at the blonde. "But, you're  _just_  as good looking, aren't ya?"

He seemed breathed a sigh of relief. "So, you know of Revelin. Thank the cosmos. My name is Damien, I am his charge. We lost contact with Revelin for more than a day, so we set out to look for him and we ended up here."

"Just who are you?" The other one added as he practically peeled my hands away from Damien's chest. "You should stop trying to cop a feel while in public!" He hissed.

"Oh, you're just jealous that you aren't his height," I snorted before extending my right hand towards Damien. "You can call me Lexie, gorgeous." I then turned to poke Duncan's shoulder. " _You_  can call me Alexandra, sour puss." I straightened back up into perfect posture, hands on my hips. "And, if you haven't heard from Revelin for that long, then something pretty bad must have happened. Come on, let's get you out of this awful park."


	10. Bad Reception

 

**_ Cyrus’s Point of View: _ **

"I absolutely refuse to sleep in the same bed." I declared adamantly when I realized that there was only one bed in the room I was supposed to share with my mentor. I saw Makith attempting to cover his expression with his hands, but I could see the mirth in his golden eyes quite clearly. The nymph was starting to grow on me. He tended to put Revelin in his place every now and then, just like I did. And he was petite, just as I was. Honestly, I rather enjoyed talking to someone that I could look right in the eye instead of craning my neck all the time.

"My chamber has two beds, if you would rather share mine," Makith offered.

"Sounds great," I replied with no hesitation whatsoever.

"Such loyalty," Revelin replied in a grumble.

I waved goodbye cheekily as Makith led the way down the hall to his own room. The room was smaller, but the beds were secured to the walls at a corner, similar to bunk beds. I wondered what kind of material the walls were made out of that they could withstand such weight. The room itself was painted in a soft, pale sea green. "Makith..." I began as I glanced down at the seaweed-green floor. "For reasons unknown to me, your room makes me crave seafood. Salty seafood."

Makith let out a deep sigh. "You are my guest, so I wish to treat you as royalty. But, I cannot grant that particular request," He began as he motioned for me to sit next to him on the bottom bed. "You see, we are vegetarians. What were those other words that Lin used...? We are mostly Lacto-vegetarians and Vegans, actually."

"I see, I meant no offense."

"When I studied in the academy with the others, I was exposed to all kinds of diets. So long as no one shoved what they were eating in my face, I was fine. As you can imagine, Revelin was the first to learn that lesson the hard way." A harsh smirk formed on his face. "I nearly drowned him with his own carbonated drink. None of us really got along for a long time."

"Not to say that I'm dying of curiosity or anything," I started, but stopped. "Alright, I take it back. I  _am_  dying of curiosity. Just how in the world did the five of you end up getting along if you just about hated each other so much?"

"The Alcaid and our Instructors noticed the endless rivalry between us and they forced us into several group projects. If we couldn't work together to complete those projects properly, then we would all have failing grades. Sink or swim." Makith explained. "It was rather difficult at first, but after the first couple of projects, we formed a grudging respect towards one another. After a few more projects, we began to get along. And, by the last few projects, we had formed close bonds."

"I'm a bit envious," I affirmed. "All I really had was my nephew during my time at the academy. I would have liked to have at least one close friend."

"My friends were my family," Makith confessed. "I have no one of blood relation. I would have liked to have at least one blood relative."

We both fell silent for a moment.

"Hey, I don't want to really offend anyone during my stay. Is there anything else I should know about your culture other than the food?" I asked in an attempt to break the silence.

"No, but I will warn that those that work in the cafeteria will want to pile your plate high with food." Makith replied as he walked towards the door. "It is similar to an 'old wives’ tale' that anyone who is short simply lacks proper nourishment. Though I learned early on that genetics have a bigger part to play on such things, there is nothing one can say to the staff of the cafeteria that will sway them otherwise."

I couldn't help the grin that formed on my face as I followed him to the cafeteria. Some things seemed rather universal, even between dimensions.

::::::

**_ Alexandra’s Point of View: _ **

I outright rolled my eyes when Duncan scratched and tugged at the new clothing he was given. "How can you stand this...this cheap fabric?" He huffed.

"Prince Saul must grant his magician messengers an impressive wage indeed for you to be able to afford such luxurious fabric," Damien drawled sarcastically.

I could tell that he wasn't entirely comfortable in his own outfit, but he certainly didn’t complain, which spoke volumes of his manners.

We saw a blush streaked across Duncan's nose and cheeks and he opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but he closed it again in another silent huff.

I shook my head at their banter. "Listen, you two, if we're ever going to get to the bottom of this, we need to work together." A lesson I had learned well during my last years at the academy. "I need to be able to both send and receive a message through my charm. And, depending on how distant the dimension is, I will need more than just my own Vim."

The contrite expression on Duncan's face was priceless. "We're ready to help you in any way that we can."

"Good. I need you both to place a hand on each of my shoulders," I instructed. "And don't panic when you start feeling the Vim getting sucked out of you. Have either of you donated blood before?" I sighed at their confused expressions. "Never mind. Just, be sure to remain seated and try not to faint."

The three of us sat down in chairs set in a close triangle so that it would be easier for them to place a hand on each of my shoulders. I had taken her contacts off, so I knew that my lilac eyes began to glow as I concentrated. My hands were held before me as if I were holding an invisible sphere, at least until an actual violet sphere formed between them. After another moment, Revelin's face came into view. "Limber, what's going on? Where are you?"

Revelin's blue eyes widened before a smile took over his features. "Lexie! We're in Makith's dimension on an island. We've had two attacks in two different dimensions. We need all the help we can get." He replied in a serious tone.

"Guess I was due for a change of scenery," I sighed dramatically. "Tell Maki to pick us up at the oasis, then."

The image of Revelin frowned for a moment, his gaze finally falling on the hands that were on my shoulders. From his position, he probably couldn't see the owners of them. "Us?"

"This is one of those 'show, don't tell' cases," I answered with a devious smile. "See you soon." When I cut off the transmission, I saw Duncan swaying in his chair.

"Whoa, I got ya," Damien said as his hands shot out to steady the brunette as Duncan passed out. "And here he was boasting about having more skills when it came to magic."

"You know, it's so strange seeing the way you two talk," I commented. "You don't speak like a prince at all, though you were the one who was dressed as one. And  _he_  speaks as if he's some high lord though he's dressed like a messenger. Talk about opposites."

"I idolized Revelin since I was nine years old," Damien replied with a half-smirk. "My speech kind of adapted to be more like his as the years went by. My sister, however, felt that speaking ‘improperly’ wasn't suitable for a leader of a kingdom." His expression became more serious. "She cares so much about our dimension that it would be the least I could do to ease her worries over Revelin's safety."

I raised an eyebrow. "Then, what's  _his_  story?" I asked as I motioned with a nod towards the unconscious Duncan.

"I haven't the slightest clue," He responded with a chuckle. "But, I certainly hope to find out."

**

As soon as I appeared in the oasis, Makith leaped into my arms. "Alexandra!"

"Maki!" I replied with the same amount of enthusiasm. "This is Prince Damien of the Darenvy, Revelin's charge. And this is Duncan, who is confused as to what he himself really is."

"O-of course I know who I am!" Duncan countered, his green eyes sending me a glare.

"Sure you do," I replied with a hint of sarcasm. "Guys, meet Makith. Oasis nymph extraordinaire."

"Pleased to meet you both," Makith said as he shook both their hands, starting with Duncan. When he looked up at Damien, his grin widened. "This is the first time I've met someone with similar eyes as mine."

"Same here," Damien replied with an answering smile. "I guess now I see why Revelin let me get away with a lot of things as a kid."

"We must ask him when we see him!" Makith added.

"Tch!" Duncan hissed as he folded his arms. "The person I want to see is Sir Kairos. Is he well?"

"Come find out for yourself," Makith replied with a slight shake of his head, tossing me a mischievous glance. He stood in the waters of his oasis and motioned for us to step into it.

"Aaaaaahh!" Duncan shrieked moments later as we were all transported from one body of water to another. The magician messenger was clinging to Damien's back as if he were a living backpack. "W-w-w-warn someone next time about the jarring sensation of such means of transportation!" He hissed in the direction of Makith just as I gave the nymph a high five. "The nerve!"

"Come on, Duncan," Damien said softly as he carefully slid him off his back. "So, where are the others?"

"Are the three of you hungry?" Makith simply asked.

::::::

**_ Cyrus’s Point of View: _ **

"You seemed to have gotten along rather well with Makith in the past," I commented as the cafeteria line inched forward. I handed a tray to my mentor before taking one for myself. "Why didn't you ask  _him_  to be your assistant?"

"Your jealousy is rather flattering," Revelin purred before hovering over my ear and whispering. "Could it be that you wish you were the  _only_  assistant by my side even then?" 

I viciously rubbed at my ear and glared at him. "If that is anyone's wish, it would be yours, not mine."

"I'll let it be known that I did ask Makith to be my assistant once, but he turned me down." He elaborated. "His home dimension was, and still is, far more important to him."

As I asked for a random array of the vegetable casseroles in front of me, the server gaped at me and gave me twice of everything that I asked for. When I glanced to the side, I could have sworn that my mentor was pouting.

"They certainly seem to remember me." He sighed.

The same server who had attended to me was giving my mentor a murderous glare.  I noticed that his plate was full of several burnt edges and overcooked vegetables. "I guess so.”

"They certainly seem to like  _you_  well enough," He scoffed as he motioned towards my heaping plate.

"Just what exactly did you  _do_  to be 'cast out' of this peaceful place?" I inquired as we found someplace to sit.

Revelin cleared his throat. "It was an accident. I was actually trying to help fend away bandit attacks from one village to another. I ended up somehow causing the tunnel that connected three mountain-surrounded towns to the main road to collapse." He divulged. "They were trapped for months."

I shook my head, not having any doubt that what he told me was true. "If you help rebuild their kingdom, you might be pardoned." I advised as I transferred half of my food onto his plate.

"Thank you. And I don't care if they pardon me or not," He admitted. "So long as we find out who's behind this and make sure that they don't have a chance to perform an encore."

"Agreed." I stated.

_"Sir Kairos!"_

A cold chill rolled down my spine at the sound of the familiar voice. "Tell me I'm only hearing things."

"As much as I would love to tell you as much, it would be a blatant lie," Revelin growled. "Really, Lexie? I ask you for reinforcements and you bring me  _this_?" He questioned as he pointed at Duncan, who was beginning to cut off the circulation to my arm as he clung to it.

"Duncan, please behave yourself," Damien admonished.

To everyone's surprise, Duncan quickly obeyed and released my arm. "R-Right. I was simply joyous and relieved that you are alright, Sir Kairos."

"Now, what were the exact words you used?" The lilac-eyed woman mused as she tapped her lips with a finger. "Ah, that's right, 'we need  _all_  the help we can get.' You can't afford to be picky about it."

My mentor groaned and covered his face with a hand. "I suppose you're right.” After a moment he motioned towards me. “Lexie, meet my assistant, Cyrus. Cy, this is Alexandra." His eyes narrowed. "What happened to your hair?"

"What, this?" She asked as she ran a hand through the dark locks. "Forced to dye it to blend into my dimension."

"Wow, you must really care for that dimension in order to go as far as covering the hair color you had taken so much pride in," Revelin pondered aloud.

"Thank you both for being here," Makith spoke up from behind Damien. "I feel a bit more at ease."

"Speaking of dimension travel, where are Verity and Itharos?" Lexie inquired. "Didn't they decide to Wander, too?"

My mentor and Makith looked at one another. "Well, we were hoping you could help us find them," Makith told her.

“Well, at least I won’t have too much difficulty if I have you two to help,” She contemplated aloud. “Not to mention that neither of you would faint by giving me an excess of Vim.” She tossed a smug look towards Duncan.

“That was my first time sharing my magic in that manner!” Duncan retaliated.

Alexandra’s gaze shifted from the prince to the magician messenger, and finally to me. “You know what? I think it would be best if we all chipped in. Let’s see if we can get a hold of Verity first. Come on, hands on my shoulders and my head…” The round charm on her bracelet began to glow a burgundy hue as she focused the flow of Vim into a violet sphere.

Damien and Duncan took hold of each of her shoulders, Makith and I placed our hands on top of her head, and my mentor sat on the ground and settled his hand on one of her knees. A strange static began to form around the sphere as an image began to flicker in and out of it.

“… _Xandra_ …can’t talk…low Vim…”

From the brief flashes, I was only able to make out a tiny woman with short white hair and brown eyes. I couldn’t make out any other details on her face. She seemed to be rather pale and wore, what appeared to be, a thick, burgundy-hued cloak.

“…later!”

And then, the sphere was blank once more. Alexandra frowned. “I’ve never heard of anyone having such a low reserve of Vim to not be able to receive a message. Limber, what do you think of this?”

“It sounds like she was using up the majority of her Vim on a regular basis to have such a low reserve.” My mentor responded. “Perhaps she finally decided to settle down on one dimension and stopped Wandering?”

 _“Makith!”_  A peach-haired nymph hollered as she ran through the cafeteria. Her light blue irises trembled as she caught her breath. “There have been signs of activity spotted in the ruins of the Kingdom!”

Makith thanked the girl and turned to face us. “My friends,” He pleaded, the gravity in his voice unmistakable. “Please come with me.”


	11. Out of the Fountain, Into the Freezer

~ **SEVERAL YEARS AGO** :~

**_ Makith’s Point of View: _ **

_"If you work hard enough, you should be able to rise above just about everyone else in the academy," His room-mate reminded him. I noticed that his dark hair was finally starting to grow back after the lost bet from the year before, but the shorter hairstyle took nothing away from his handsome features. "Everyone, that is, except for me."_

_Our earlier years in the academy were rather chaotic. There was a time that I couldn't take a joke and that he simply couldn't stop poking fun at me. I used to take everything so seriously that all Revelin wanted to do was lighten things up a bit. So, it was only through hard work and clearing up misunderstandings that the two of us were able to study together peacefully._

_"What would I have to do to defeat you, then?" I asked with a chuckle, shaking my head. "Train with Itharos instead?"_

_"Itharos is a force to reckon with, I won't lie," Revelin admitted. "But, he's still a step or two behind me." A smirk formed on his face as he crossed his arms in front of him. "Though, I won't stop you from running off to train with him. I've seen the way he looks at you, he'd do just about anything you asked him to."_

_I could almost feel the lilac glow that formed on my cheeks. "I would not be able to concentrate much at all if I trained with him..."_

_"Oh-ho!" Revelin replied in a sing-song voice. "Why haven't you told him that you like him back?"_

_"He's going to be a Wanderer's Assistant when we graduate," I answered sadly. "I, on the other hand, am going to my home dimension to offer what little protection I can as an Idler."_

_"You like him enough not to want to get hurt when he leaves?" Revelin mused aloud. "You know, it won't take me long to become a Wanderer. If you became my assistant, you would have more of a chance to see him."_

_"Thank you, but no," I respectfully declined. "I would prefer to watch over my people."_

_"You could try your hardest to catch up to me, but I won't let you, Maki," We both turned as Alexandra poked her violet head into the room. Her hair reached down to mid back and carried a healthy sheen. Clearly, she had been listening in on their conversation._

_"I don't see the point in arguing over third place, seeing as how Revelin and Itharos have the only two spots secured," Verity pointed out behind Alexandra's form. Her white hair was cut in a tomboyish style that fell down to her ears._

_"Speaking of which, just where is that teal-haired nerd?" Alexandra questioned._

_"Probably studying for the finals," Revelin supplied._

_Alexandra snorted. "You mean studying like you are supposed to be doing?"_

_"I'm helping Makith!"_

_"More like all of us should be studying," Verity reminded them with a sharp poke on their sides. "Should we ambush Itharos in the library?"_

_A grin formed on my face. "Most definitely."_

_**_

_** Itharos’s point of view: ** _

_My silver eyes were so dry that I wished there existed away to pull them right out of my head, if only for a short while. I rubbed my temples and tapped my pencil on the sheet that I was jotting down notes on. Reflected lights began to dance around on the page in the colors of the signature Vim of four people I knew rather well. "Honestly..." I chuckled as the 'light show' continued on my page. The light brown and purple stick figures were hip-bumping in rhythm while the blue and golden stick figures held hands and spun in circles. "Guess that if I were to take a break, now would be it."_

_"Ha, a break? Oh no-no, my darker than dark friend." Alexandra clarified. "We're here to study with you." She patted my back as I groaned and dropped my face and arms on the table in despair. Lexie's grin became a devious thing as she leaned down to whisper into my ear. "I heard that Makith wanted a private lesson with you afterwards."_

_I instantly pulled myself into an upright position as my eyes sought Makith's golden ones. Did the nymph really want to talk to me privately?_

:::::

~ **PRESENT DAY** :~

**_ Cyrus’s Point of View: _ **

As we made our way to the town square's fountain as a group, I reluctantly filled Prince Damien and Duncan in on what was going on. But, they took it a lot more seriously than I thought they would. I could see a grim determination glinting in their eyes and I felt grounded, once again, by the genuine emotions on their faces. I wasn't used to such things as bonds forming under duress. Neither Damien nor Duncan were acquainted with Makith and Alexandra for very long, yet, they appeared to be ready to fight side by side with them. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't bring myself to trust so many new people at once.

When I looked up from the ground, all eyes were on me. The group was already standing in the waters of the fountain and were waiting on me. I carefully stepped over and into the fountain, subconsciously taking hold of Revelin's hand in the process. I felt my mentor's eyes on me and I quickly glanced up at his face. Revelin had a worried expression on his face, but there was a strange look in his deep blue eyes. Before I had a chance to really think about what it could be, we were all transported rather forcefully through the water and onto a small puddle on the other side. "Damn," I whispered, the sound of my voice cutting sharp in the still air as we gaped at our surroundings in horror. "Why do such a thing to such a peaceful race?"

I could tell, just by the ruins, that the kingdom was a beautiful one. Corners of elegant architectural designs were on lamps, paints, and glass. Every broken piece of wood had been carved in intricate patterns. Every broken piece of stone had been engraved with symbols that were probably inspired by nature. I felt my mentor's hand giving my own a squeeze, and it wasn't until he did so that I realized that my body had gone cold, as the weight of it gave me some warmth. My heart went out to Makith. How he had managed to hold himself together for so long to play host was beyond me.

The nymph tried to hide the tremors, but anyone could tell that he was shaking. "Lexie, Lin," He called in a voice that shook just about as much as his body shook. "Help me search. Let us cast a stealth net on everyone."

I was already familiar with the feeling of Vim armor, so the stealth casting felt like nothing to me. Prince Damien and Duncan, on the other hand, seemed to feel uncomfortable. We decided to split up in pairs and search for any more 'signs of activity'. As I surveyed the area, I couldn't help but take in the remains of what was surely an immense kingdom. Besides the dried, caked blood that I saw every once in a while upon objects and stone, everything was vacant of any signs of life. I began to rub my arms as I felt the chill of the stones. "The sun hasn't even set yet. It certainly gets cold fast in this dimension."

Revelin's larger hands took over where my own hands left off in trying to rub some warmth back into my skin. I felt myself tense up, as my body usually did in response to any sudden physical contact, but I was surprised at how quickly I relaxed into the touch. A soft sigh escaped me. "It's not professional to mix business with pleasure," I commented. "You've taken far too many liberties already."

"If there was one thing I always felt proud of, it was that I was able to always keep business separate from pleasure," My mentor admitted as he caused me to tense back up again by brushing his lips along my ear. "But, when it comes to you, I can't help but want both the business  _and_  the pleasure." I turned around with a frown to protest, but he quickly pressed a finger to my lips. "But, I will continue to hold onto my resolve until the day you decide that you want both from me as well."

"What if I never want both?" I questioned. "What if the business is all I can give?" I reached up to scratch at some of my platinum curls in a nervous gesture. "Revelin, I'm not like you. You have no qualms about taking strangers to your bed. I would be hard-pressed to take  _anyone_..." The strangest smile formed on my mentor's face. One that I had never seen before.

"Cyrus, you called me by my first name," He whispered, his tone of voice sounded a little too happy. I regretted it instantly.

"RELEASE HIM THIS INSTANT!"

The shrill, high-pitched voice was unmistakably Duncan's. Both Revelin and I turned towards the sound of the voice and began to run in that direction. I skidded to a stop when I nearly ran into Makith, who was standing stock still. The nymph wore an expression of fear mixed with shock and anguish on his face. When I followed his line of sight, I was rather surprised, but I felt none of the emotions that were displayed on Makith's face. On a rather high peak of rubble stood a tall man wearing nothing but a pair of grey shorts. His skin was much darker than Alexandra's, almost pitch black, and it was a startling contrast to his waist-length teal hair and silver eyes.

Once I got past his only article of clothing, I realized that both Damien and Duncan were on the ground, bound like caterpillars with a grey-hued Vim. One of the man's bare feet pressed down against Duncan's struggling back. That didn't stop the magician messenger from glaring vehemently up at him. "What, exactly, is going on?" I asked as I tried to ignore the malicious expression on the stranger's face.

 _"Itharos!"_  Revelin called when he finally arrived with Alexandra at his heels.

"Oh, this  _better_  be a joke," Alexandra hissed when she saw Damien and Duncan wriggling on the broken stones. "Those are  _my_  charges."

The man, Itharos, formed a twisted smile as he gazed down at his old classmates. "Well, well, well." He purred. "If it isn't an academy  _reunion_!" He motioned with his arm towards Revelin. "The Valedictorian." He then motioned towards himself. "The Salutatorian." He motioned towards Alexandra with a cruel smirk. "And...Honorable mention?"

"Come down here in front of my face and say that!" She looked around wildly at the rubble that surrounded them. "Is all of this really  _your_  doing!?" Alexandra growled, but as she made a move to stomp towards Itharos, my mentor grabbed her elbow. Her eyes narrowed as she fumed up at Itharos. "What is it that you want!?"

"Ah, Xandra, always straight to the point," Itharos replied as he folded his arms in front of him. "I knew there was a reason I didn't entirely hate you." His ominous silver gaze fell onto Makith. "I am here for Makith, of course." He used his foot to roll Duncan precariously over the edge of the high peak. Damien's fury was muffled by the coil of Vim that surrounded his head. "Unless, you would rather be responsible for this little brat's death."

"Makith," My mentor whispered. I could almost hear the anxiety in his voice. "Don't do it."

"Tut, tut," Itharos wagged his finger in Revelin's direction as he formed a sharp spike of grey Vim in the same hand, extending it to form a long spear that he held just over the back of Duncan's neck. "I never did have much patience with you, Revelin. Stop trying to get in my way."

"Lin, I'm sorry," Were Makith's last words before he rapidly clambered the peak with the grace that only a nymph could have. We could only look on as he stood face to face with Itharos before the four of them promptly disappeared.

"The fucking hell!" Alexandra yelled furiously as she stomped her foot, kicking up the loose dirt around her. Tears began to fall from her eyes.

And, then I witnessed a sight that made me feel even more worried. My mentor seemed to crumble into himself. His tall frame lowered down until he was crouched on his knees, hunched over, with his hands tugging at his hair. "Damn it," He hissed softly in a voice that cracked. Clearly, his old friend had never been on his narrow list of suspects.

My body moved before my mind had any time to think about it. I knelt down and rubbed his back in small circles. A familiar pain shot through my heart as I was forced to witness the pain of my newfound friends. The pain of betrayal.

 


	12. A Wanderer Gone Astray

**_ Revelin's POV: _ **

The sun had set mercilessly fast in the horizon. Alexandra and I mindlessly built a fire from the wooden rubble and sat with our knees bent, gazing absently at the flames. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the silent tears rolling down her cheeks.

Losing both Makith and Itharos at once was a hard thing for either of us to come to terms with. Makith was my best friend and Itharos was my best rival...it was as if one of my brothers kidnapped the other. I would never delude myself into thinking that my deductive hunches were always right, but it was still quite a shock to find that someone that was like family to me would be the one to have created so much chaos. I would have preferred that it had been a scorned lover or vengeful assistant instead, either of which I would have been able to handle without so many complications.

I sighed, raking my nails through my scalp, and was surprised to feel Cyrus's hands on my shoulder. When I looked over to my right, I could see the concern swirling around in those sharp hazel eyes of his. To be able to keep my hands to myself whenever I was around him was becoming more and more difficult. But, what was more frightening to me was the fact that I no longer cared for releasing my frustration through sensual activities with a variety of people.

In fact, Cyrus had become my one sole frustration. Though I wanted nothing more than to relieve it by staking my claim over him, I didn't want to lose him as my assistant. My life was simply far more entertaining with him by my side. For the first time since I had begun Wandering, I was seriously considering having an actual partner, so long as it was the platinum blonde sitting next to me. "Still cold?" I asked him.

"Yeah, but only when the breeze sneaks in-between the stones." He replied. "I hate to bring this up, but don't communities usually build walls to keep things  _out_?" He commented as he peered around. I followed his gaze to the base of what used to be the wall that surrounded the nymph kingdom. "I mean, this looks like it was sturdy stone at one point...should we worry about desert dwellers reclaiming their territory at night? We have giant desert lizards that breathe fire in the deserts of our dimension, for crying out loud..."

"Don't worry so much," Alexandra sighed from the far right. Her voice was no longer shaking, but her body still was. "We shouldn't be sitting around moping, we should be figuring out how to get Makith back along with those young-ins."

"Your bracelet," I pointed out. "It still has both Itharos and Makith's signature Vim, does it not?"

"Yeah, but it's not enough to even..." Her voice ended in a surprised choke when she saw the round charm on her bracelet begin to glow a burgundy hue. She glanced up and locked eyes with me, both sets widening in surprise. "I don't believe it..." She whispered just as a familiar form began to materialize beside her.

"You better damn well believe it," Verity scoffed as she pulled her burgundy hood back to reveal her round face. All of us quickly rose to our feet. But, it was Alexandra that nearly tripped herself on the way up.

"Verity," Alexandra's voice began to break as she took in the sight of her best friend. Her back straightened abruptly, as if she were pulling herself together. "Shorter hair sure looks good on you." She said as she took in Verity's pixie cut.

"You too," She replied with a smirk until her expression changed into a frown. "Though that color does not suit you." She reached out to shake her fingers through Alexandra's hair, restoring the strands to their original violet shade. "Much better."

"Damn, I missed you girl." Alexandra hissed as she hugged Verity tightly. "You have no idea what we've just been through."

Verity snorted. "Let me guess...Itharos? You don't know the half of it."

"Please, enlighten us," I prompted.

"Well then, everyone needs to sit their butts back down and I'll show you everything I've witnessed." Verity explained as she took her place in front of the fire. A burgundy hued staff formed on her hand. As she twirled it over the fire, the fire took on the same hue and a flickering image formed inside it.

My eyes narrowed as I focused on a landscape that was very familiar to me. I recognized it as the town where the tsunami hit; the last time I had seen Verity. The last time she had helped me. What we were seeing must have been what happened after I left the town. As the images moved, it felt as if I were seeing everything through Verity's eyes...

::::::::::::

 

**_ Verity’s POV: _ **

"You don't understand. Those waves looked too sharply cut to be a natural occurring Tsunami," I growled at one of the priests in the church. "Which means that this last one was anything  _but_  natural." I had been suspicious from the very beginning when it came to the causes of the tsunami, whether it was natural or not. Before Revelin left, I had him handle the press while I stayed behind and talked to the few Vim carriers that helped during the chaos, and the priests. But, none of them seemed to think that the tsunami was forcefully created.

"Fine, don't believe me," I sighed. "Just make sure that everyone is safe while I go investigate." I pulled my hood back over my head and headed towards the shore. After some heavy bribing, I managed to get a crew to take me out to sea in the direction that the tsunami was first seen.

When we were far enough on the water, I formed a staff in my hands and twirled it over the water, using an activation spell. If the water was manipulated by vim, it would give off a burgundy glow. If no form of magic was used, then it would remain the same. What I saw made me frown. "That is a long trail of Vim...not many people are capable of doing this much. Not at this scale."

**

Sometime later, I came across Itharos to talk to him. I noticed that his wrist cuff was made of the scales of a serpent...a species that only lived in the waters of a particular ocean. My suspicions began to grow. I walked through his arch-passage to confront him. "Just what were your motives for trying to drown the Trade Island? Or did you somehow lose control of your Vim out in the ocean while hunting for the serpent that became your cuff?" I questioned as I motioned with her hand towards his wrist. "Talk to me, Itharos."

The fine hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I observed the Itharos before me. His silver eyes were glowing and there was something about his stance and the way he slowly walked towards me that seemed off. I immediately formed a Vim shield around myself as he approached.

"Dearest Verity." Though the words rolled out in a purr, there was a sharpness of warning to them. As he spoke, the arch-passage behind me began to activate. "Far be it for you to stand in my way." In one swift move, he shoved me right through the arch-passage and inactivated it.

When I came to, I ended up trudging through a tundra and coming across an arctic dragon. The pale creature's azure eyes settled on my form. I tossed up my shield just as blue fire rained down from above…

::::::::

**_ Revelin’s POV: _ **

"Damn it! Just when I thought I was finished with feeling so cold!"

As I blinked a few times to clear my vision, I heard the voices of Alexandra and Cyrus as they, too, came back from Verity's vivid memories. Alexandra was rubbing her forehead while my assistant rubbed his arms and snarled at the fire, where the images had once been.

"I can certainly see how Itharos could have used water to exploit the weaknesses of these structures." I commented aloud as my eyes gazed at the ruins of what used to be the nymph kingdom. "But, my question is the same as yours, Verity. The Vim required to bring that much water out here to a desert...Itharos was certainly a powerful Wanderer. But, not even all of us together would have been able accomplish as much."

"And you said that the signature Vim in your bracelet isn't enough to form a trace?" Cyrus asked Alexandra.

"Oh?" Verity asked. "But, perhaps with this, it will be enough?" She suggested as she pulled out Itharos's serpent skin cuff from within her burgundy robes.

"I should have known!" I cried as a genuine smile formed on my face at last. "Verity, welcome back into the fold. We're lucky to have you."

"I know, I know." Verity replied with an answering grin. She turned towards Alexandra. "Well, Lexie? Let's get to work on extracting the Vim from that book-shaped charm of yours."

"With pleasure." She conceded as she plucked the charm right off her bracelet.

Soon, the two of them managed to stabilize a connection between Itharos's Vim and his whereabouts. Alexandra's violet sphere began to show dark figures dashing about. "What are those things?" She asked as she frowned at one of the shadow-like forms.

"I've been trying to figure that out since I first saw them," Cyrus huffed.

"Look, there's Makith!" Alexandra pointed out.

"He has Makith?" Verity asked with a frown.

"Yes, he kidnapped him along with two others." I supplied. "I'll explain it all to you later."

We all looked on as Itharos approached the nymph. Makith's wrist were held above his head in a cloth-like material and his feet were each held down by chains on the ground. "They will come for you," Itharos said as he trailed his fingers along the side of Makith's throat. "And then, I'll finally rid myself of them one at a time."

Alexandra cursed when the image dissipated. "Shit!" She looked at everyone in turn. "Does anyone have any idea where they could be based on what we saw?"

"I do." Cyrus sighed. I knew what his answer was going to be even before the words were even out of his mouth. "They're in Revelin's mansion."

 


	13. The Less You Carry...

**~SEVERAL YEARS AGO:~**

**_ Itharos’s POV: _ **

_As we all exited the library in varying states of drowsiness, Makith stayed behind and tugged on my arm in the hallway to talk to me privately. The academy's hallways were always empty during the darkest hours of the night._

_"Itharos...these will be our last days together after graduation." He began as his golden eyes fell to the floor. "I plan to remain in my home dimension as an Idler. But, you...you plan to Wander, is that correct?"_

_"Yes, I've always wanted to go to as many different dimensions as possible," I admitted. "Ever since I was ten."_

_"I do not want to keep you from those dreams..." Makith replied as his fingers began to nervously fiddle with the end of one of his blue dreadlocks. "However, I do wish that you would visit my dimension every once in a while." He added rapidly before walking past me._

_"H-hey, wait!" I called as I took hold of the nymph's wrist. "Makith...by not wanting to keep me from my dreams," I said as I lifted Makith's chin with my hand. "Should I take that to mean that you would rather I took up residence in your dimension permanently?"_

_I saw Makith fight down a blush. But, I wasn’t prepared for him to lunge himself at me, sealing our lips together in a desperate kiss. He didn’t allow me to come up for air until he had thoroughly explored my mouth. When we finally pulled away, I knew that I was the one blushing this time._

_"Yes," He told me breathlessly. "I wish you would take up residence in my dimension permanently with me."_

_"Five years," I vowed when I finally caught my breath. "Give me five years and I'll move into your dimension."_

:::::

**_ Makith’s POV: _ **

...but, the five years had come and gone with no sign of Itharos at all. And there I was, held captive in Revelin's mansion by the very man I had been waiting for. A long sigh fell from my lips. I was immediately tethered to the ceiling and chained to the ground. But, the other two hostages were tossed in a dungeon. I did not remember Revelin ever owning a dungeon before. I wondered if it was among the 'renovations' that Itharos gave the place.

My wrists tugged at the bindings as Itharos came back into the room. "Whenever I envisioned being bound by you," I drawled. "It certainly was not as uncomfortable and it also involved a bed."

Itharos approached. "They will come for you," He said as he trailed his fingers along the side of my throat. "And then, I'll finally rid myself of them one at a time."

What did he mean by  _finally_? I thought. "Since when have you ever wanted to 'rid yourself' of your friends? Friends close enough to be like family!" I asked aloud. "What has happened to you?" The final question trembled in the air in a fragile tone.

Itharos turned his head slightly, as if he were listening to something. "No, I won't lose my reserve. I will go through with it." His silver eyes then turned their attention back to me. "Only without your home dimension and friends will you truly be mine. There will be nothing left but  _me_."

I began to tune out all of the words that came out of Itharos's mouth after that. I was too busy focusing on the man's body language. Yes, there. His pupils. Whenever the Wanderer turned his head slightly, the pupils of his eyes changed from black to navy blue. The change was minute and difficult to catch, but I was  _certain_  of it. Perhaps my beloved Itharos was not truly himself, but possessed.

"Itharos…" I called in a voice that was dripping with lust. I needed a closer look at those pupils, and I knew of only one way to get Itharos to come closer. "I missed you." I keened as I began to sway in place, as sinuously as I could within the bindings. "Please," I begged, my eyelids falling to half-mast. "Touch me?"

Though Itharos didn't seem to show any sort of reaction on his face, the lower half of his body certainly responded to my enticements. The teal-haired man eventually let out a husky growl and quickly closed the distance between us, cupping my clothed package and squeezing it gently until I let out a light moan.

"Itharos!" I hissed, feeling aroused in spite of myself. But, even past such arousal, I observed Itharos's demeanor.

For a mere moment, the Wanderer appeared to be startled. A strange expression formed on his face shortly before he stumbled backwards. When Itharos opened his eyes, the navy blue had taken over not only the pupils, but the irises as well. "He belongs to me now, nymph," A strange voice rumbled out of Itharos's mouth. "If you  _want_  to live, don't even attempt to seduce him again."

"You are mistaken if you believe that you will be able to keep control of that body when our friends arrive." I shot back. "And you are a fool if you think that I won't take him back."

" _We shall see, nymph. We shall see."_

:::::::::::::::

 

**_ Duncan’s POV: _ **

I scratched at my own arms furiously as I paced the prison cell that we were tossed into. "What if they never find us?" I asked out loud.

"Don't worry," Damien replied. "Dandelion and I were in even worse situations and Revelin still managed to find us. You know, for a 'magician messenger' you haven't even tried to escape on your own."

I half-pouted as I narrowed my eyes at Damien. "Well, I do not know absolutely  _everything_  about magic or that…what did you call it? ‘ _Vim’_  that those Wanderers are so famous for."

"Oh, is that all?" Damien teased. "I merely figured that a spoiled prince like yourself would hardly ever use magic on his own. He'd rather force everyone else around him to use it instead."

I took several steps back so fast that my back hit the wall. "S-s-spoiled prince indeed!" I stuttered. "Ah, that is to say, I'm not royalty so you sh-shouldn't even address me as such…"

"Really?" Damien asked incredulously as he stood up from where he was sitting on the floor. "You will still deny that you're a prince to my face?" He approached me one step at a time, effectively cornering me. "No magician messenger would spend their hard-earned money on fancy clothing." He pointed out as I flattened his back against the wall. "No magician messenger speaks as properly as you do." I gasped as Damien leaned down to whisper into my ear. "Though I could care less what title you truly have, I would prefer not to be lied to any longer."

I felt a shiver rolling down my spine when I realized that I was completely trapped by the golden-eyed prince. My heart was beating faster than I had ever felt it beat before. "I…am sincerely sorry that I lied about my status." I confessed, my mouth feeling a little dry. "I am the real crown prince of the Sonnets, Prince Duncan. Saul is my younger brother, despite his height."

"Let me guess," Damien theorized. "You wanted to take a good look at what the princess was like before being forced to marry her? But, why did you continue to pretend to be a magician messenger? Her marrying your brother would not have affected the peace between our lands…"

"I didn't want to be the crown prince at all," I explained. "I wanted to travel past the lands of our kingdoms…" I took a chance and peered up at golden eyes, a blush forming on my cheeks. "A-and I think I've fallen for someone that I shouldn't have and I needed some time to allow those feelings to fade."

"As if I would ever let them fade," Damien hissed as he quickly dove down to thoroughly claim my lips.

"D-Damien," I gasped, taken completely by surprise. I tried to deter him between kisses. "We shouldn't…be doing this." My hands clutched onto the blonde's shirt, tugging him closer as the kisses grew deeper.

A chuckle fell from Damien's lips. "Your words and your actions contradict each other, Prince Duncan."

I instinctively huffed. "It is your fault,  _Prince Damien_. You make me weak."

"I sure hope that I always make you weak," Damien replied with a smile. "I plan to keep you for my own."

“Wh-what about your sister?” I questioned. I couldn’t think up any other tactics with which to make him snap out of it.

“Didn’t you know?” Damien countered. “I am older than her by two minutes.  _I_ am Darenvy’s crown prince.”

As I felt the blonde’s arms wrapping around my waist in a tight hug, I was quite amazed that he was able to bring me such comfort while in a prison cell of another dimension. “Th-then perhaps I do not mind it as much if you…keep me for your own.” I conceded as he chuckled against the side of my neck.

::::::

 

**_ Cyrus’s POV: _ **

"This is my assistant, Cyrus Kairos." Revelin finally told Verity.

I was beginning to wonder when he was going to actually introduce me. I held out my hand to the white-haired Wanderer and she shook it firmly.

"An assistant with an actual  _title_. That's a first," Verity mused. "You must do your job well."

A sheepish smile began to form on my face at the compliment, but a blush took over its place when Alexandra began to speak.

"That's nothing, V-girl," Alexandra added with a smirk. "You should see the little fireworks that go off between them when they think no one's looking."

Revelin cleared his throat and motioned for us to near him. On the ground was something that resembled an arch-passage; it was assembled haphazardly with stones from the ruins around them.

I squinted my eyes as I tried to make out what he used in order to draw horrendously onto each stone. "Is that…purple lipstick?"

"Well, none of us had a permanent marker at hand or anything of the like," Alexandra huffed.

"Why don't Wanderers ever carry any actual equipment with them?" I asked aloud.

Verity, Alexandra, and Revelin looked at one another before settling their gazes back on me. I felt rather small and naïve as I felt the weight of the wisdom hidden behind each set of eyes.

"The less you carry, the less you have to lose." They all replied almost at the same time.

"Honestly, what do they even teach at the Academy these days?" Alexandra wondered. "I'm an Idler and I still know that much."

"I think that they toned down the curriculum rather drastically after our graduating class," Revelin suggested.

"The sad part is that I can't even blame them," Verity concluded as she helped Revelin activate the rough arch-passage.

"Our first stop will be my platform," Revelin warned. "From there, we should be able to decide and plan how to…I never thought I'd ever say this…reclaim my family's mansion, and free the others."

"That is, if it's still in one piece," I murmured as, one by one, we stepped through the arch-passage.

**

"Nice training platform," Alexandra purred as she immediately began to write symbols on the ground with her shoes along with Verity. The two girls began to spar playfully while Revelin and I looked on.

"This is why I prefer to work alone," Revelin sighed. His blue eyes focused their attention on me and I subconsciously took a step back. "I will need you to trust me completely for this." He said before using his Vim as a blindfold and wrapping it over my eyes.

"I already don't like the sound of this...is this supposed to be some type of trust training?" I asked warily as my body adjusted to the lack of vision. "Wait, where are you taking me?" I asked when I felt Revelin's hand tugging on my wrist.

"I'm simply leading you to the center of the platform," Revelin answered. He called Alexandra and Verity to him and they began to whisper animatedly. I frowned beneath the blindfold.

"Dip down too feet towards your right with your left shoulder leaning away." Came the command.

I was still feeling unsure and awkward, but I slowly did as my mentor asked. Almost immediately, I felt something sharp cut through my sleeve and scrape against my skin. "Ouch!" I hissed.

"Jump forward."

This time, I didn't hesitate, but I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as I felt a column of heat behind me. That was when it hit me. I was being trained by two veteran Wanderers and a veteran Idler all at the same time.

"Drop to the ground and roll to the right; six rotations."

I wasn't allowed to see, so I was forced to follow Revelin's precise instructions or risk being injured. When I was cut for the second time, I hissed and cursed. When I was cut a third time, I threw all of my concentration into the sound of my mentor's voice. I listened, I moved, I felt, and I let go of all thoughts.

"Enough." Revelin stated loudly.

I felt the Vim slide off my face and blinked my eyes open. The platform was peppered with scorch marks, ice shards, and rubble. I merely sported a few bleeding scratches.

"Well?" My mentor asked, his voice practically purring.

"He certainly trusts you from a distance, Limber," Alexandra noted.

"Though his Vim is a bit chaotic, he seems to have excellent control over it," Verity added. "You have trained him well."

"You did good, Cyber," Alexandra praised as she reached out to ruffle my hair.

"Cyber?" I questioned incredulously.

"It suits you," She simply replied.

"If you are careful enough and put your trust in us, you will not be harmed," Verity concluded. She was the one that activated yet another haphazardly built arch-passage that time, created from the rubble of the platform. "Let's go."

I was going to walk through the passage right after Verity and Alexandra, but Revelin's hand held onto my shoulder and forced me to stop. I turned around to give him a questioning glance.

His smile was devoid of any smugness or mischief, it was genuine. "You haven't tensed once since you were blindfolded. Not when Alexandra ruffled your hair. Not even when I touched you just now."

My eyes widened when I realized as much. He was right. I didn't even shy away at any of the contact. I let out a gasp when I was pulled into a hug, but for once, my body was simply surprised and not stiff. "H-hey!" I warned. "Don't you dare think that just because I'm a bit more laid back now you can do whatever you  _want_ -"

I wasn't able to finish threatening him. Not when my mouth became obscured by his fervent kiss. Never had I felt such warmth fluttering around me. Damn, but it wasn't fair. How could a simple kiss arouse me so badly? My hands slid down his shirt to clench at the hem while his tongue tried to take over my very mouth. When his arms tightened around my shoulders and waist, I forced myself to pull back. "N-now is not the time for this," I breathed.

Revelin smirked as his darkened blue eyes stared into my dazed ones. "You really  _don't_  have any idea how sexy you are," He whispered huskily, finally letting me go and walking towards the arch-passage. " _Especially_  when you wear anything other than those hideous pajamas."

He ducked through the passage and I ran in right after him. I sent a silent prayer to the cosmos that we would all come out alive, even if not entirely in one piece.

 


	14. Measuring Tape and Jars

 

**_ Cyrus's POV: _ **

"My ancestors are surely turning in their graves." My mentor commented dryly as he took in the state that his family's mansion was in.

Every room was an open portal to a different dimension. Dimensional rips were scattered on different segments of the ceiling. And, those strange shadow-like creatures guarded every door. We had managed to sneak in through a portal that opened up to one of the bathrooms. The bathrooms were, in fact, the only doors that weren't guarded. I didn't know if Itharos had something against opening dimension portals in bathrooms or if we were just that lucky.

"We distract, you search," Alexandra ordered.

Neither Revelin nor I chose to argue with that. We simply took off in the direction of my mentor's chambers. Before we even took a step towards the door, I felt the familiar weight of a warm hand on my shoulder and looked up.

"I know that I won't be able to take on Itharos alone," He began as his blue eyes took on the serious sharpness that was usually reserved for my training. "I will hold him off for as long as I can until we are able to regroup. But, I need you to find tweedledee and tweedledum for me. Alexandra's orb showed that they clearly weren't in the same room as Makith. Itharos probably has them held captive elsewhere."

I let out a snort at the latest nicknames that Prince Damien and Duncan were labeled. "How can you be sure that they're not really in there with him?" I questioned. I didn't want to let him go in there alone.

"Take this," He said as he reached into his pocket and handed me a charm.

I gaped at the little thing.  _"Are you fucking kidding me?"_  I hissed. In my hand was a charm version of the top half of my favorite pajamas. When I looked back up, my mentor was holding a charm of the pajama bottoms. "I thought you said you hated seeing those? Really? I mean, it couldn't be my favorite mug that defined me…I'm the 'pajamas' charm for everyone?"

Revelin let out a snort. " _You_  were the one that continued to wear them stubbornly. One would think you'd be happy." A devious smirk formed on his face. "I may not like them, but…" He dangled the charm of my pajama bottoms in his hand. "Your pants are safe in my hands."

A hot blush rose to my face, in spite of everything. "So, I take it that these will serve as our means of communicating?"

"Exactly," My mentor confirmed. "Should I find them here first, or if I find that I'm unable to stall any longer, I will activate the charm on my end."

"Alright." The logical part of me envisioned the 'safety in numbers' picture that Revelin was painting for me, should we all manage to regroup properly. But another part of me, one that I have fervently ignored up until recently, was screaming at me not to leave him alone. I nodded reluctantly and forced my feet to move. I refused to look back and lose my resolve. They were all trusting me to find and release our friends and I was going to play my part.

::::::

** Revelin's POV: **

I watched my assistant go with a strange tightness in my throat. Facing Itharos alone was springing a trap that he undoubtedly created for me, but Cyrus was our wild card. He was the one person that Itharos had no memory of. I hoped upon hope that his underestimating the blonde would tip the scales in our favor. With a deep breath, I walked through the door of my room.

The room was colder than it usually became during winter. And it was because of the freezer-like feeling that I made sure that the mansion was kept well heated. "Why is it so cold in here?"

"Lin!" Makith gasped from where he was tethered on the wall. "Lin, whatever it is, it's taken over Itharos's body and refuses to let him go! Itharos isn't doing any of this voluntarily. If you kill him, you'll kill Itharos, as well-"

Before I could make better sense of what Makith was trying to tell me, I was forced to move out of the way of an incoming blast of water. Wait, water? "If you're not Itharos, then who  _are_ you?"

"If you can best him, I will take  _your_  body instead," Itharos was speaking, but the voice that came out of his mouth was not his own. "If you can't, you will die. Either way, it sounds wonderful."

"What are you?" I questioned.

"I don't see it fit to tell you, Wanderer. This body is mine now, along with the person to whom it  _used_ to belong to." The voice replied.

"Lin," Makith growled. "Beat him to an inch of his life if you have to. An inch is all we need."

::::::::

**_ Cyrus's POV: _ **

"Just how the hell am I supposed to find those two?" I grumbled under my breath as I checked room after room. Just about the only place I hadn't checked was… "The basement!" As I neared my destination, some of the strange shadow beings blocked my path. "Not you guys again…" I readied a concentrated layer of Vim on my hand, but as I prepare to launch myself at them, I stopped dead in my tracks at the chaos that unfolded before me.

One minute, I saw shadow-like arms extended towards me, and the next minute an arctic dragon howled at them and promptly trampled the group of shadow beings as it ran past. Alexandra and Verity were running right behind it, using their Vim to tie the arms and legs of some of the “shadows”. "We got this, Cyber! You go on ahead!" Alexandra ordered.

I didn't even question it. I simply made my way through to the basement. If it wasn't one chaos, it was another. Imagine my surprise as I ran down the stairs to the basement to find the bottom of it wedged into another dimension's dungeon. Revelin would pass out from shock at the sight. As I warily walked between the dungeon cells, I raised an eyebrow when I found my current charges making out against the bars. "Isn't that an uncomfortable position?" I asked. They pulled away immediately at the sound of my voice. "No time for explanations, let's get you out of here," I stated sharply as I used my Vim to form a key and unlocked the cell door. Making objects out of spells was something that I excelled at, not to mention picking locks.

"Revelin wants us to try to ambush Itharos together," I relayed the message. "So, stick close to me and try not to get side-tracked." When we ran back out into the hallway, it was swarming with shadow beings. "Why are there so many of them now?" I asked as I fought my way forward and kept the other two in my line of sight.

"They started pouring out of a dimension from one of the rooms!" Verity cried. It was just Alexandra, the dragon, and herself, fighting off the legions.

Prince Damien, Duncan, and I helped to fend them off to our best ability. Of course, nothing would ever truly go according to plan. We were well into the battle when I noticed the charm glowing in my pocket. "Shit!" I hissed. "Can you two keep an eye on our charges?" I yelled.

"Yes, I think so." Verity replied. "I'll just keep them near the dragon. Just go!"

:::::::

As I ran and forced my way through the shadow beings, I came to the most daunting realization that had ever dawned upon me. And I fought tooth and nail with the voices in my head stating the obvious.  _Why_ was I even  _worried_  about my mentor?

 _He was a bastard._  My inner voice reminded me.

After all, he just about trained me into the ground every chance he got. You'd think that, other than the training part, he'd be more responsible about some things…

_There was seriously no other way for me to describe it._

Alright, so he was somewhat of a genius…a philanthropist of sorts…and loyal to a fault…

_He was also a man-slut...a manipulative rat...an egotistical dickhead..._

_Oh, dear cosmos and all the other spirits that may exist in the universe..._

_How the freaking hell have I fallen in love with him?_

That very realization continued to ring in my head as I burst through the doors of Revelin's room to find an enormous navy blue serpent squeezing my mentor within its coils with all its strength. Makith was struggling within his confining and Itharos was a limp, unmoving body on the ground beside him. Despite the scene being yet another unexpected chaos in my eyes, I lifted my chin and glared at the creature with furious hazel eyes. "Let. Him. Go." I hissed.

The serpent had only two front legs, both of which he used to crawl over to me. "You are not familiar to me. Has Itharos even met you?" When he lowered his massive face to look at me, I noticed that it had two long, thick whiskers on either side of its muzzle.

I took hold of those whiskers and pulled down on them hard. "Listen here," I growled. "I've eaten fried eel before, and I'm sure you'd taste no different. So, I give you one last chance. _Drop_  him."

"Heh." The serpent scoffed as he merely tightened his hold on Revelin. "Impudent little thing."

"Then I suppose I better work up an appetite," I stated as I coated both my hands with Vim. I dove and rolled right between its only legs and went straight for the tip of his scaled tail. My Vim formed a massive poleaxe that I swung down onto the tip. The blade merely embedded half way, but the effect was immediate. The serpent howled and released its hold on Revelin.

I barely dodged in time when it took a swipe at me. I quickly jumped onto its paw and used it as a springboard to leap high above its head. This time, I formed a Vim axe that I embedded right in between its eyes. While the serpent thrashed about, I ran over to release Makith from his bindings.

"Look out!" Makith cried as the serpent's injured tail smacked into my back.

I had only just managed to release one of Makith's arms before I took the blow. The pain was unbelievable, but I knew the difference between a broken bone and bruised muscles. I was struggling to think when I felt a cool sensation on my back. "Makith?" I managed to grit out.

"One of the benefits of being an Idler," The nymph explained as he reached out as far as he could towards me. "The ability to use my Vim to heal. But, as a nymph, I can't use my Vim to attack." His golden eyes glanced warily at the fuming serpent. "I can release myself from here, distract it while I check on Revelin and Itharos!"

"No!" The serpent roared, his tail slamming down to block Makith from getting to Itharos. "He's mine now, nymph!" His scales began to shift like light reflecting beneath rippling water. "For too long have I, Vianis, been imprisoned within the ocean kingdom. Itharos is my only freedom!"

"You are not truly free if you are borrowing another's life as yours," I pointed out as I tried not to panic. Just how the hell did one kill a giant serpent from another dimension? When 'Vianis's' navy blue eyes squinted at me, I kept trying to keep his attention on me. "In all honesty, you chose the wrong body to possess anyway."

Then, I witnessed a rather disturbing scene. I had studied about demons and other such beings that possessed other creatures in various ways. The serpent's preferred orifice of possession was Itharos's nostrils. I watched, disturbed, as the serpent's tongue wriggled up the unconscious man's nose as the rest of its body morphed into a ribbon-like form and zoomed into the nostrils with as much speed as an extended measuring tape sliding into its case after releasing its lock.

My only comfort was that Makith had witnessed the horrendous event as well from his position next to my mentor on the ground. The oasis nymph's mouth was opened as wide as mine was. But neither of us had time to dwell on the horrendous event, because Itharos's body was, once again, twice the threat that it was before. I don't know why I didn't see that coming. I was merely trying to goad the serpent to follow me out of the mansion into a more open area to attack without Revelin's inheritance coming down over our heads. Apparently, I had no other choice.

Vianis began to play with me, as if he thought that by mere physical strength, he could beat me down. But, I was light on my feet and had plenty of stamina to burn. I, just like Revelin, was still hoping for some kind of back up to waltz right through that door despite the fact that I saw with my own eyes just how occupied everyone else was on the way here. If I was stalling the inevitable, I was going to give it all that I had.

The serpent began to tap into Itharos's Vim and began to throw it at me in different forms. I did my best to dodge and deflect without using my own Vim, as I knew that using too much of it would exhaust me. I was in the process of tossing back some of his attacks when I noticed Revelin stirring out of the corner of my eye. An idea came to mind, so I immediately acted on it. "Now it's my turn, 'Vianis'," I growled as I began a full-on assault on the serpent. The hardest part was not to hurt the Wanderer's body too badly. I made as if to bind him, sending him chain after chain of my Vim. Sure enough, he deflected it right on back, and I allowed the chains to bind me to the ground.

"Heh," Vianis scoffed as he glared down at me. "Made a mistake in choosing this body, have I? I certainly don't think so.”

He stepped on my shoulder and I winced in pain. He formed a spear out of his Vim and aimed it towards my neck, but my line of vision was on someone else. "About damn time," I hissed quietly before snapping the Vim chains off of me and locking them tightly around Itharos's body. "You should have found yourself another dimension to start over instead of borrowing power that isn't yours." I admonished. "Makith!"

The nymph rushed over and used his Vim to expel the serpent back out of Itharos's nostrils just as my mentor came around to trap Vianis's ribbon-like form into a Vim jar and sealing it. For a moment, all three of us gaped at the ribbon-like mass vibrating inside the blue-hued jar of Vim in an effort to escape. Our attention fell on Itharos as he began to groan. Startled, I immediately released the chains…which wasn't my brightest idea, as the man immediately collapsed onto the ground.

"Crap, forgive me, Makith," I apologized as the Idler quickly knelt to heal Itharos. I looked over at Revelin. "I don't think we're quite done just yet." I explained. "Leave these two here, the others could use some help with the ‘shadow’ beings."

Revelin hesitated for a moment before placing the jar next to Makith. "Hold onto that until we return," He suggested before following me out into the hallway.

I retraced my steps back to where I last saw the legions and skidded to a stop when I saw our friends seated on the ground and leaning against the sleeping arctic dragon. Not a single ‘shadow’ being was in sight. "… _nevermind_." I stated with a slightly hysterical laugh that somehow infected the others, as they all started laughing as well.

"So," Revelin began when the laughter died down. "Who wants to help me fix my family's mansion back to its original state?" Several groans followed that statement.

 


	15. Nagging Feelings

 

**_ Cyrus's POV: _ **

Restoring my mentor's mansion turned out to be a far more daunting task than I originally thought it would be. But, with the help of everyone, we managed to fix it within a few hours. Our friends were all rather exhausted as we all gathered in Revelin's restored basement. Makith did his best to ease away our sore muscles, though he could do nothing for the lack of energy.

"So, did anyone figure out what exactly those shadow beings were? And what happened to them while I was wrestling with an overgrown eel?" I asked dryly.

"The darnest thing," Alexandra explained. "One minute, we all had our backs to each other, fighting off the hordes...and, the next minute, they just stopped what they were doing."

Prince Duncan nodded. "They merely froze and gaped at us as if  _we_  were the ones that had manifested out of nowhere!"

"After some rough communication, we figured out that what you thought were visors were actually scales from that serpent. Aquatic creatures are so meticulous. Give me dragons  _any_ day." Verity concluded.

“And did any of you ask what they prefer to be called?” I questioned. I sighed at the silence that greeted me. That mystery was going to haunt me until I came across the ‘shadow’ beings again.

"Itharos, just what  _were_ you doing out in the ocean when  _'Vianis'_ picked you off?" Revelin wondered.

Silver eyes closed shut as Itharos rubbed his temples. "Had I known..." He trailed off. "No. It could have happened to anyone and the situation might have gotten even further out of control." He contemplated out loud. His gaze settled onto Makith's. "I was hit with a strong wave of nostalgia. The color of the ocean in that dimension reminded me greatly of the waters of Makith's oasis. I thought it was finally time to return to my home." He admitted as he took both of the nymph's hands in his own. Everyone looked on as Makith smiled at the Wanderer and nuzzled their noses together.

I had never seen the nymph so happy. In fact, I was rather moved. I didn't remember the last time I cared so much about others...I didn't remember the last time I shared in their joy. I didn't remember the last time I fully put my trust in others, despite the many ways they could have failed me. Before me stood a new family of sorts. They were all amazing individuals that I would be proud to introduce my nephew to one day.

"Well, it's a good thing you're going to tone down that Vim of yours as an Idler," Alexandra huffed as she playfully shoved at Itharos's shoulder. "We wouldn't want some  _other_ power-hungry creature to possess you again."

Itharos's laughter was rich and deep. "Agreed. My Vim will be put to work restoring Makith’s home to its former glory."

"On that note, we should take our leave, my friends," Makith suggested as he tugged Itharos towards the restored Arch-Passage.

Revelin let out a snort. "Fine. Just don't wear Itharos out too badly, Maki."

The oasis nymph sent everyone a devious wink before the two of them walked right on through.

"My sister will be super relieved when I tell her that you both are finally safe and sound," Prince Damien said as he reached out to half-hug Revelin, giving him a pat on the back. "We'll be seeing you both soon, right?" He asked as he moved on to do the same to me. I couldn't help but give the blonde a smile.

"Of course," Revelin replied easily. He reached out a hand to ruffle Prince Duncan's hair, ignoring the indignant squawk he sent his way. "Though, it sounds as if the four of you have plans of your own. You won't be needing our services much longer."

"Don't think you'll be rid of us that easily," Damien chuckled. "If Dandelion has her way, you'll end up being hired to watch over her children, as well."

"I'd be most honored." Revelin conceded.

Prince Duncan stood before the both of us awkwardly. Though it had been a bit of a surprise for me when I was told of his true title, I thought that it suited him just fine. My eyes widened when the brunette grabbed one of each of our hands and cheekily threaded mine within Revelin's. "Despite what you may have thought of me, I really did like you Sir Cyrus, in my own way." He admitted before turning his green gaze to Revelin. "Give him the best of care. Only the best! If I hear that you-" His rant was cut off as Prince Damien forcefully dragged him through the Arch-Passage.

As soon as they were gone, I tried to pull my hand back, but I felt Revelin's grip tighten as he tugged me back. I refused to look up at him and did my best to force down a blush. Alexandra's laughter drew my attention her way. Her lilac eyes were dancing with mirth.

"Aren't you two just adorable," She cooed. "It's a shame we won't be able to stick around to see the show, right V-girl?"

"Truly." Verity responded.

"Well, we have a lot of girl talk to catch up on anyway. Have fun," She trilled as they, too walked through the passage. Verity tapped her staff along the edge of the symbols, inactivating it as she entered it.

I couldn't help the deep sigh of concern that passed through my lips as I saw my final friend-shields disappear to another dimension. I found myself biting my lower lip and looking anywhere but at my mentor's face. "S-so," I began nervously. "Are you going to give me my hand back?"

"No." Was the firm answer I was given.

The next moment, I nearly lost my balance as he pulled me along out of the basement and into the hallway. I was worried nearly to the point of panic. Would I still be treated with respect after he had his way with me, or was I going to be just another notch on his bedpost? With so many similar questions floating around in my head, I was surprised when we passed right past the door of his room and entered mine instead. "Wh-what, so now I'm not even good enough for you, is that it?" The defensive words were out of my mouth before I even managed to collect my thoughts.

"Stop. Talking." He growled, settling the full weight of his gaze on me. I felt my breath hitch as I was met with the full force of those multi-blue eyes once again. "And  _listen_."

My lips thinned as I fought down the urge to talk back, simply giving him a nod.

"I want to change our contract."

My eyes became wide. What in the world was he talking about? Change it how? And how dare he ask me to keep quiet while he dropped such big bombs one me! My mentor must have read the sheer panic and chaos in my eyes, because he pressed a finger to my lips as if to remind me not to speak.

"Still thinking the worst even as you hope for the best?" He questioned with a slight shake of his head. "There's no need to worry, Cyrus Kairos." There was a moment of silence before he extended his hand. "I, Revelin Eferize, hereby recognize one Cyrus Kairos as a full-fledged Wanderer. Henceforth, he shall be officially referred to as my true equal."

He didn't lean any closer to me that time, once again leaving the decision in my hands. I felt the corner of my lips turn up in a half-smirk. "I, Wanderer Cyrus Kairos, hereby accept the position of partnership to the esteemed Wanderer, Revelin Eferize." I stated as I placed my hand in his and reached up to place a kiss on his lips. When I pulled back, I frowned when I realized that I didn't feel the swirling Vim sensation of a sealed contract. Had I done something wrong?

"This contract isn't sealed with a mere kiss," Revelin whispered as he placed his hands on either side of my face. "I said 'my true equal,' not just simply a 'partner.'" He elaborated as he closed a little more of the distance between us. "Cyrus, I want  _all_  of you. I can't settle for half."

I felt a shiver roll down my spine at what the bastard was really offering me. That was quite a leap of faith. Did I have the courage to jump? My hazel eyes peered up into blue. I already knew the answer to that. "Henceforth, he shall be officially referred to as my true equal, as well..." I whispered as our lips met for the second time. I felt the swirls of Vim surrounding us entirely that time. And, this time, the kiss intensified. I had warned him before about trying to tame the beast inside me. But, it was far too late. We were both going to devour him, my caged lust and I. It was as if Revelin had loosened the hinges enough for it to burst free.

My mouth all but devoured Revelin's own. For a good while, I dominated the kiss as I bit and sucked on his lips and tongue. But, the Wanderer began to devour right on back. I felt pleased shivers down the back of my neck as I felt his tongue fighting with mine, eventually forcing its way inside. My body began to subconsciously move against him and the lips were suddenly wrenched away. I frowned at the interruption, but joined in when I realized that clothes were being discarded.

As soon as Revelin sat in the center of my bed, I found myself clambering right onto him to continue where our mouths left off and to grind sinuously against him. I couldn't help the soft laugh that fell from my lips when I heard him groan against my lips. That was when the Vim came into play. My partner definitely had quite the talent when it came to manipulating it. I could feel it do some of the work for him as the particles expanded and formed a thin buffer deep within my core. I squirmed constantly at the sensation, which did nothing to soothe the building friction of the flesh between us.

"Cy... _damn._ " He hissed into my ear as his teeth nipped at my shoulder.

I felt his tongue swipe at the side of my throat and I snorted softly, moving slightly. I frowned when I realized just how ticklish my skin was there. The breathy chuckle against the skin did nothing to help. "Stop that," I hissed.

"Looks like I already found a sensitive spot." I could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

I retaliated by tugging hard on his hair until I heard him hiss. "Behave if you want us to finish this."

"Threatening me?" He snickered as he slid a hand between our bodies to stroke both of our erections lazily. I gasped when I realized that he had somehow brought the lube into play and was already coating them. "When you're this hard for me? Admit it, you don't  _want_ me to stop."

My cheeks heated up. "Like hell would I ever admit to such a thing out loud."

"Guess I'll just have to draw it out from your body, then." The mirth was still in his voice as he prepared to enter me.

I bit my lower lip to keep quiet when I felt the head of his shaft breach through my entrance. I couldn't help the single twitch that the muscles gave when that part found its way inside. "Revelin..." I groaned, wanting him to simply get on with it. But, the penetration was slow. Even with the Vim buffer and the lube, I felt his girth stretching my insides further.

"Cosmos, Cyrus," He whispered hoarsely as his hands clenched my butt cheeks.

I bit his shoulder in return until he began to shift and move. When we began to find a soft rhythm, he shifted us further onto the bed and I let out a gasp as he flopped onto his back, leaving me on top. He gave an experimental thrust and I couldn't believe the moan that escaped me when he brushed against something rather pleasant. I began to take over the movements from there, feeling in control as Revelin's face displayed nothing but pure desire.

I leaned back onto my hands as his hands gripped at my thighs and then my hips when we began to move more earnestly. Just as my eyes fluttered closed, I gasped and they flew right back open again when I felt Revelin's hand envelope my shaft. "Ah!" I cried in pleasure, barely even registering when Revelin began to pull down on my hip with his free hand on every upward thrust.

_"Fuck,"_ Was the heady hiss that Revelin gave as my only warning before I felt the hot streams of his release deep inside me.

"Hah... _anh_!" I whimpered as his hand continued to lazily stroke me to completion even as his chest rose and fell in an attempt to catch his breath. I didn't know if it was the soft, half-lidded smirk of satisfaction he gave me, or if it was the hand that slid its way up my chest to drag fingers along my already sensitive nipple...but, my body decided that it was through, and my orgasm burst through me in an arch. I felt a tingling sensation running along my entire body when the final tremble ran through me.  _"Fuck."_  I gasped, unintentionally echoing my partner's word of choice upon completion.

That time, I felt his rumbling laughter against my entire body as he carefully sat up to press a surprisingly tender kiss to my temple.

::::::::::::

I let out a long sigh as I gazed upon, what I could only describe as, a nightmare. "Was that  _really_ necessary, Revelin?" I questioned as I gazed up at the new sign that marred the top of the entrance of his family's mansion.

"Don't worry, I'm sure it will grow on you," Revelin practically purred. "After all," He added with a smirk. " _I_ grew on you, didn't I?"

As my gaze once again lifted to the fancy lettering that formed the acronym  _'W.R.E.C.K,'_ I shook my head in disbelief. 'Wanderers Revelin Eferize and Cyrus Kairos,' indeed. That nagging feeling rose again in the back of my head of the chaos of which that blasted acronym was sure to attract. By then, I was absolutely sure that my "nagging feelings" were almost always justified. But, I sure tended to fight my own instincts with tooth and nail, didn't I?

"If we ever marry, you would be the one wearing the dress, right?"

...and my instincts were screaming at me loud and clear... _He's a Bastard._

**_END_ **

a/n: This story has a sequel called W.R.E.C.K 


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